Good Cop, Bad Cop
by Ultimolu
Summary: Alternate Universe: She was a highly decorated officer with experience under her belt. He was a cold, highly decorated officer with even more experience under his belt. When their world collides, all hell breaks loose. Can they ban together to bring down a drug cartel, or will they end up killing each other first? Rated T for some language/violence content.
1. Chapter 1: Mr Freeze

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter One:** Mr. Freeze

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which I run into an ice block...and he cripples my perp."_

* * *

[ **Tuesday** ]

* * *

[ **Time:** 9:30 a.m]

* * *

Today was a typical Tuesday morning.

I mean, the sky was clear, the birds were singing, children were crossing the street in an orderly fashion for school...and I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

"Stop, L.A.P.D!"

Here I was, running as fast as my legs could carry me, barreling into people, knocking over outside tables and chairs along the way, as I chased down an obvious purse thief. He was giving me a good workout, and I was crankier than an old lady on bingo night.

No morning coffee, no bagel, not even a damn piece of bacon.

Throw in the fact that my brother nearly burned down the kitchen back at the house trying to make breakfast, old man Parker complaining about our puppy Roscoe howling in the middle of the night, and finding a huge spider in my kitchen sink, I was having probably the best morning of my entire life. Let's keep in mind that I am not a fan of spiders and even seeing a baby in it's natural habitat will make me jump out of my skin faster than getting stung by a cactus.

Just lovely.

This guy wasn't letting up and was giving me a freaking workout.

I was just seconds away from strangling this guy once I wrapped my fingers around his scrawny neck.

Downtown Los Angeles was notorious for the surfer weather. While the typical beach bums enjoyed surfing and hanging out, the weather for normal people like me was hell on earth. It didn't help that sweat stains were developing underneath my navy blue button down shirt with strands of hair that was plastered to my face.

By the way, I'm a brunette by nature.

I was dressed as professional as can be when it came to being a top officer in the L.A.P.D. Black jacket, black pants, Mary Jane's, and a buttoned down shirt, tucked in my pants. My holster was also black and strapped around my torso, while my badge was clipped to my pants in plain view. There was a joke circulating around the office that I dressed like a federal agent, but I didn't care.

Criminals feared a woman in black...or that's what I heard on a television show weeks ago.

But right now, this wasn't the time to reminisce on television shows.

"Sorry!" I yelled behind my back, after barreling into yet another person. This guy was either trying to be the next Jackie Chan with his stunts or I was really unlucky. I was in shape and could definitely hold my own, but at this point, the _Clairenator_ _(the nickname my brother decided to give me one day)_ was running low on energy.

Yup…I needed my coffee.

It also didn't help that we were nearing yet another café with a batch of people eating breakfast before they headed off to work or whatever they usually did.

As if this day couldn't get any worse.

Sometimes, I wondered why I couldn't get my brother's job. Sure, it was an office job and you were surrounded by guys talking about sports and chicks all day but at least you didn't have to chase down wanna be stunt doubles or idiots who thought they were above the law. I mean, yes I know I said I loved my job but when you're running low on caffeine and you're chasing down a crook downtown on one of the busiest days of the week, you start to wonder if you made the right call in your career.

"Damnit!"

A string of expletives flew out of my mouth, as I dodged two handymen carrying boxes to their truck. I could have ran right into them if I hadn't spun around like a ballerina to avoid the looming disaster. At least I still had the perp within my sight and he didn't try crossing the street in the middle of traffic. I had to hand it to him- at least he wasn't a suicidal perp.

Lo and behold, we reached a random café. Cue the screams, commotion, tables flipping over, chairs flipping over, and waiters nearly falling on their faces to get out of the way.

All except for one man that was sitting rather calm at a table, his legs crossed and reading a newspaper. Either he was too preoccupied to know what was going on _(you know, he could have been listening to music on headphones or something)_ , or he knew what was going on but chose to ignore it. Either way, he was going to get hurt if I didn't yell at him to move out of the way.

And, to make matters worse, the perp was heading in his direction.

"Sir, please get of the way!" I shouted, jumping over a toppled chair. But my warning came too late, as the collision was seconds away from happening.

Except, that it didn't happen, which would have a great relief to me but what happened next was not what I expected at all. The man dropped the newspaper on the table, rose from his chair, and held his arm out. The next thing I knew, my elusive thief freaked out, but he didn't have time to even stop himself before he did a backflip in the air, and landed on the ground face first. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the man I was so concerned with just closelined a street punk who gave me trouble for about twenty minutes.

 _…Ouch?_

A groan could be heard, as the purple leather bag also flipped in the air and landed on the ground next to him. Mascara, pocket change, and eyeliners spilled out onto the sidewalk.

I skidded to a halt.

My jaw dropped, cartoon style.

Did that really just happen or did I imagine it?

Commotion stirred, as onlookers and customers just stared. I mean, it wasn't often that you see a tall blond who looked like he was in his forties in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, dressed like a secret service agent, right?

A very expensive looking secret service agent, that is.

Well, normally I didn't have a fangirl effect over attractive men but the one before me took attraction to a whole new level. Slick, blond hair, the deepest pair of blue eyes I have ever seen in my life, well-built but not overly muscular, polished black leather shoes, along with a suit with a black silk tie…I didn't know whether I was living in the twilight zone or reality.

I could have sworn a blush fluttered to my cheeks.

' _Stop it Claire, stop it! This is not the time to be admiring a citizen who just did your job in the first place! He interfered! This was a police matter! You would have caught him eventually!_ ' I scolded myself.

' _But you have to admit, he's rather um…presentable._ ' That second voice chimes in.

Wait, where did that other voice come from?!

I did not just think that way. Nope, that definitely wasn't me.

Shaking my head as hard as I could, I made my way over. Well, my elusive thief was unconscious now, making it rather easy to slap my handcuffs on him and drag him back to my car, which was back where I came from. But before I could do anything, ' _Mr. Tall and Sexy'_...err I mean ' _Random Citizen Guy'_ bent down, grabbed the perp by the collar of his Hawaiian t-shirt and pulled him up from the ground.

A mental wince shot through me.

Double ouch.

My perp's face was busted. I don't mean just a few scratches here and there. I mean the whole nine freaking yards here.

Broken nose, blood on the sidewalk…hopefully he didn't have some teeth missing too because I would definitely have the chief on my tail for this. Well, not that he wouldn't be on my tail for the strings of injuries this guy sustained but hey this wasn't even my fault to begin with.

This day just keeps gets better and better.

I better take over before anything else goes wrong.

"Thank you…I'll take it from here sir…" I began, as soon as _'Random Citizen Guy' (I will not say tall and sexy again, I swear on my aunt's cheesecake)_ got back to his feet, but I was met with a rather cold stare.

"Claire Beatrice Redfield..." That voice alone would make even the bravest of men hide under their beds. Deep, authoritative, and militaristic-sounding…wait a freaking minute, how did this guy know me?

I didn't even get a chance to ask, let alone say anything before he continued on. "...I should have known it was you, based on the path of destruction that was probably left behind several blocks away."

Path of destruction? What the hell was this guy on? Did he even know who he was speaking to? One doesn't just insult an officer of the law and got away with it.

"Um...excuse me?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

Suddenly, ' _Ran_ _dom Citizen Guy'_ didn't look very appealing at the moment. The way he sounded, you'd think he was scolding a child in front of her friends. In this case, people were watching, and I felt like a little girl.

I decided to just play it safe for the time being.

"Sir...do I know you?" I asked. "Because I don't think I've ever seen you before..."

 _'Random Citizen Guy'_ gave me the coldest smirk I have ever seen in my entire life. I mean, this wasn't just a smirk. This was a smirk that screamed nightmare material.

"I assure you that we will get very acquainted soon from now."

Wait, what was that supposed to mean?

I decided to just ignore his response and focus on the whole situation with my unconscious perp. "...Okay? Look, I don't know who you are but I don't think you're in any position to tell me how to do my job. I didn't ask you to intervene. I mean, yeah it was helpful, but at the same time I have a busted criminal to take to the local medical office, thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?" ' _Random Citizen Guy'_ tossed the perp into a chair. "If I didn't intervene, your path of destruction would have spread down to Cortland Street. And for the record, I know you well enough to understand that you're undisciplined and reckless. If you were discliplined, you would have taken down your perp much quicker without causing a scene."

Just who in the world did this guy think he was?

And that was when the infamous Redfield temper reared its ugly head. Yes, that rage that made grown men howl, dogs cry, and had my brother running for the nearest hills. Chris was too easygoing for his own good, while I inherited my father's legendary temper.

This random citizen was going to get one good piece of my mind.

"Listen, and listen well…" I began, my voice firm and to the point. "...unless you want to get arrested along with the perp here, I suggest that you hold your tongue. I don't know who you are or how you know my name, but I am not in the goddamn mood right now. I haven't had my freaking coffee or breakfast yet. I don't need some random businessman telling me what I should have done when he doesn't even know the first thing about being an officer."

Just for the added effect, my eyes narrowed as I then added; "Keep your snotty opinions to yourself, or I guarantee things won't end pretty for you. Are we clear? Or do I have to take this short conversation to a level you can understand?"

Then I waited, expecting _'Random Citizen Guy'_ to run, scream, or quake in fear to the point he handed over my perp. But no, this man just stood there and gave me a raised blond eyebrow.

"Was that supposed to intimidate me?"

I blinked.

Wait, did he just say that?!

Before I could say anything, he cuts me off. "As an officer of the law, I believe I know firsthand how to do the actual job you clearly haven't done for the past twenty minutes." Never have I seen anyone not flinch in the presence of my rage…wait a minute, this guy was an officer?!

No…way.

No, absolutely not. I heard him wrong.

Cue my jaw hitting the ground, again.

Well, I guess that would explain why he was so critical of me taking down this lousy crook but that still didn't give him the right to talk down on me like a child.

"It's also surprising to note that you didn't realize I was an officer as well, considering that I gave you a rather daunting assessment of what I thought about your skills. I have a photographic memory, and I recalled seeing the picture I saw matching your description."

"Now wait a freaking minute—" I began, but he just interrupts me again.

"I'm also not impressed or amused by your pitiful attempts to argue with me. I don't know how you survived the academy, but I can tell that your attitude will be a test of my patience."

"What—"

"I also don't care whether you've had your morning coffee or forgot to feed your cat. That doesn't concern me."

Did he just insult me again?!

There was no doubt in my mind that this man intended to make me feel small. Aside from the usual _'how in the world did he know me?'_ thought running through my head, I was shaking harder than a Tickle-Me-Elmo doll.

"So you're an officer who's so far up his ass that he doesn't even know his head from his torso." I snapped. "Tell me, just who the hell are you? I would like a name please, that way I can find out where your headquarters is located so I can file a report for insulting a fellow officer."

 _'Mr. Random Citizen who turned to be an officer'_ still didn't flinch. "I only said what needed to be said, with all due respect. I didn't insult you. I believe you were the one who lashed out first."

"That's because you **_did_** insult me!" Okay, that's it. That monotone voice was getting to me. How this guy even survived the academy without ticking someone off is beyond my guess. "And where did you get your training from huh? Who are you to question my years in the academy when you have no respect and protocol just flew right over your head when you pummeled a random perp?! Who does that?! You could have killed him!"

Hey, if he can question my status at the academy years ago, then so can I!

"I did follow protocol by stopping a perp that you were incapable of stopping yourself. And he's alive, isn't he?"

"Oh, that protocol involved busting his nose? The least you could have done was tackle him to the ground and handcuff him! And yes, he's alive, but what if he flipped the wrong way?"

"And why couldn't you have done that yourself instead of allowing him to escape? If you would have done your job, I wouldn't have intervened, in fact, he would have been in handcuffs already."

"You know what? I'm not even having this conversation!"

"Well, this isn't surprising either. You have the mannerisms of a spoiled brat, just as expected. Please continue, I'm sure you'll make a fine example in front of these people watching our little banter." He might have been enjoying this; I wouldn't even know because his expression was unreadable.

That last sentence was enough to send me in a tail spin.

At this point, it didn't matter because I was practically fuming. No coffee, no breakfast, bloody perp, and a freaking jerk of an officer.

I gritted my teeth and was about to snap at him again, but my inner yen was pleading with me not to cause an even bigger scene. I mean, it was bad enough with people staring, waiting for some kind of showdown to take place between me and Mr. Freeze. Yes, I called him Mr. Freeze because someone with the mannerisms of Antarctica deserves that title.

 _Be one with the yen Claire, be one with the yen. Deep breaths…deep breaths…no reason to go toe to toe against this guy…_

Officer Freezer pulls out a pair of tinted sunglasses from his suit jacket and puts them on in the middle of our conversation. "And my name is Officer Albert Wesker, just in case you decide to write up that report. But I doubt you'll get very far with that."

 _Be one with the yen Claire, one with the yen…_

Somehow, I doubt this yen stuff was working at all.

Stupid yoga classes.

I knew I shouldn't have allowed my brother's ex-wife to drag me with her to discover my inner yen.

* * *

 **Rule #1** **:** _Dealing with jerks, especially the one I'm dealing with now is always a test of the inner yen._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

So I re-posted this story, but the chapters will be a lot different. Please keep in mind that this is AU (Alternate Universe), and I intended to write Claire this way. Contrary to the original reviews, this story draws inspiration from a couple of movies. There may be some slight _OOCness_ from the characters but it's intended to fit the story.

* * *

 **Perp** : Known as a _'suspect'_ in police terms.


	2. Chapter 2: My New What?

**Italics:** Flashbacks

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 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Two** : My New What?!

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which Chief Randall has officially gone insane. Seriously, what the hell was he thinking?!"_

* * *

"…I see that you've met your new partner."

At this point, I didn't know whether to laugh or engulf Chief Randall's office within my flames of pure, unadulterated rage. It was eleven o'clock in the morning and already my day was ruined.

No, absolutely not.

This had to be a joke.

It was a sick, demented joke, where the devil was laughing at my predicament. Then again, the devil was probably the tall blond freezer I was forced to put up with for another twenty agonizing minutes while my perp was stitched up at the local medical center.

So let's see…I still don't have my coffee, women are drooling at the said blond outside of the office _(while he just ignores them, of course)_ , and my stomach continues to growl.

Lovely.

Just freaking lovely.

Before we get to my superior, let's have a flashback moment, shall we?

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

 _"You…you're the one who broke my nose!"_

 _It's not often that a perp freaks out over an officer, but in the case of Mr. Freeze, it didn't seem very surprising. Here I am, standing by the window, while Mr. Freeze (I refuse to call him by his name because he hasn't earned that privilege) is leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. We were just waiting for a nurse to come by and slap a couple of stitches on Jackie-Chan wannabe's broken nose and bruises before we dragged him back to headquarters. After seeing the shiny gold badge, I concluded that a. Mr. Freeze was telling the truth about being an officer, and b. He was a transfer from Washington._

 _Everything else was up in smoke because that's all he shared with me. Trust me, there was more silence in the car than a needle drop._

 _The medical center wasn't any different from what you usually saw at a hospital. Depressing green walls, white marble floors, and medical equipment. Alberto Ramos was lying down on the green medical couch bed before he saw Mr. Freeze, screamed like a little girl and pointed a shaky finger at him._

 _And of course, said Mr. Freeze just gave him a cold stare. Why this whole scenario reminds me of Judge Dredd, I don't know. Maybe it was the whole 'I am the law!' rants or that permanent scowl he wears on a daily basis._

 _Trust me, if sweat-drops existed in real life and not in anime, a huge one would have formed over my head already._

 _I'm surprised this guy didn't have a heart attack on the spot._

" _Well gee, you've succeeded in traumatizing my perp. Congratulations, now we have a basket case on our hands," I said, staring at him. "I'm sure we'll have a jolly good time bringing him back to headquarters. Maybe we should ask the nurses for diapers or a couple of tranquilizers before we leave, that way he doesn't jump through the window and land in the middle of the street."_

" _You should have done your job well and I wouldn't have intervened." Mr. Freeze answered. "I would say this was mostly your fault, Officer Redfield."_

" _My fault?"_

 _Screw the yoga and inner-yen classes, they weren't even working at this point._

" _How was this my fault?! I didn't ask you to closeline my perp and break his nose! How the hell was I supposed to know that he was going to run off and give me such a hard time?!"_

" _Did you guys handcuff me to this bed?!" Ramos was in full panic mode, yanking at the single handcuff that pinned him to the bed to prevent him from escaping. "I don't wanna be in the same room as that guy! Get me out of here!"_

 _But at the moment, he was being ignored._

" _You must be very_ _naïve_ _. It took you nearly an hour to take down a street punk."_

" _Excuse me?! These things don't happen every day okay? I don't need you calling me naïve or whatever stupid insult you're planning to use!"_

 _"Insults? I don't think you're in any position to call them insults."_

 _Okay, that's it._

 _Two can play at that game._

 _I marched right up to him and just stood there, both hands on hips. Yes, the height difference was definitely there, but do you think I was scared of this guy? No, I've taken down thugs bigger than him._

 _I was not the least intimidated._

 _That's when he slowly looks at me, tinted sunglasses and all._

 _Um…on second thought, I take that back. I could have sworn a chill shot through my spinal cord while I stood there, but I shook it off._

 _"Use that word on me again and that's going to be the last thing you ever say to me_ — _"_

" _An_ _d what do you intend to do about it Officer Redfield? Surely you won't cause another scene in this clinic, yes?" Did he just give me that infuriating, tight lipped smirk again?_

 _Oh no, no, no. You don't insult a Redfield and just smirk._

" _Just who the hell do you think you are?" I demanded, trying very hard to look just as intimidating…which was a complete and utter failure, considering that there was a height difference and he wasn't bothered by my SRM mode ( **Super Redfield Mode** , in case you just missed that. I use that when I'm pissed off.). "Listen, and listen well. You don't get to treat me like I'm some kind of an idiot. You either stand down or—"_

" _Or what? You'll throw another tantrum?" He cuts me off mid-sentence for the fourth or fifth time in a row. "I'm not impressed with your pitiful attempts to explain why a criminal was allowed to wreak havoc in downtown Los Angeles."_

 _Okay, now he was really enjoying this._

" _My pitiful attempts?! He gave me trouble! Are we going to continue with this? It still doesn't change the fact that you nearly busted his face!"_

" _I did what needed to be done. He'll live."_

 _"By breaking a perp's nose and scaring the crap out of him?"_

 _"Yes. And what exactly did you do to stop him?"_

 _"I would have stopped him eventually!"_

 _"Before or after he managed to escape from your grasp?"_

" _Okay, you know what? Just forget it. Enough already!"_

" _Giving up so easily? I wanted another childish retort."_

 _Trust me, I was this close from pulling my hair out. "You really want to go there, don't you? Listen, you don't know me as well as you think you do because believe me, I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. I'm not scared of you because if you think I am, you're dead wrong."_

 _What did I get in response?_

 _Oh, just a small chuckle from Mr. Freeze. "I'm sure you will be eventually. I won't be merciful, I assure you."_

 _I just glared at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"_

" _I'm sure an officer with your intellect will find out one way or another."_

 _That was the last thing Mr. Freeze said before a nurse walked in, blushing a deep crimson red.  
_

* * *

[ **Present** ]

* * *

And...we're back to the present.

"My new what?!" I yelled, seconds away from freaking out. Okay, yelling at your superior is way out of line, but to hear this man was my new partner was infuriating. "With all due respect sir, are you insane?! That…that man outside isn't stable. He made me feel like a little child! He was the reason why the perp had to go to the clinic before we brought him here! You possibly cannot be serious. You are really telling me that I have to work with that…that…walking freezer— "

"His name is Officer Albert Wesker—"

"I don't care who he is! He threatened me! He insulted me! He tried to tell me how to do _**my**_ job, as if he's some freaking expert—"

"He was a CIA agent and served as an adviser to the president. He also has extensive military training and discipline, something of which you seem to be lacking right now."

"Just because he's older than me, doesn't give him the right to…what?!"

Okay…now my jaw dropped for probably the fourth time.

Yes, I stood in front of my boss's office, dumbfounded by what he just said. Now Chief Randall was what you would call a family man. He was in his late fifties, a bit on the chubby side, with dark eyes, and normally wore a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black slacks and a different colored tie every day _(today, it was a solid navy blue)_. He has three children, _(and the oldest was a detective)_ , one grandchild, and was happily married to a wife that could only be described as one of the nicest people in the world.

So why did I mention this?

Well, that's because my boss was easygoing in some cases, unless you really did something wrong to piss him off. At this point, I'm certain he was pissed right now, otherwise he wouldn't have mentioned my lack of 'disciplinary' skills. Okay, either this guy impressed him to the point he did a complete one-eighty, or he was struck in the butt with Cupid's arrow.

Okay, in no way shape or form am I questioning my chief's love life, but what is up with everyone's obsession with this psychopath?! Women were ogling him, and now my chief is talking about discipline! To me, of all people! If Chief Randall is going to start acting like a drill sergeant, then I am really screwed.

And holy crap, I didn't even realize how much experience this guy had in the first place. Sure, that was a leg up above me, but it still didn't change the fact that **a.** he was a world class jerk and **b.** he had an ego the size of Europe.

"You heard what I said Officer Redfield. He was also a top officer in the Washington State Police Department. He was recommended by the high-ups in Washington to join the L.A.P.D, and I'll be damned if you make me look stupid in front of my superiors. Now, I expect you to get along with your new partner over a cup of Joe at the local diner because I'm sure you two will need to get acquainted."

I just shook my head in absolute horror.

No, this was not happening.

This was a bad nightmare I need to wake up from.

I need a good slap across the face.

Or better yet, I should just close my eyes and pretend this wasn't happening. I'll be back in my bed, dreaming about a good plate of eggs, bacon and a cup of coffee with milk and plenty of sugar.

So I closed my eyes and prayed to whatever deity was listening that this wasn't real.

Only to open them and see that I'm still in my boss's simple office _(two potted plants near the window, a mahogany desk with his nameplate, one of those large desk calendars you'll see in an office, a large shelf with awards, certificates and pictures of his children and one grandchild, and two mahogany armchairs in front of the desk)_ , and he wasn't smiling at all.

Yeah, this wasn't a dream.

"This will work out better than you think it will Redfield. Consider this a challenge…and I'm pretty sure there's some things you both have in common."

In common?!

What the hell could I have in common with Mr. Freeze?!

He was a jerk, a masochist, and had a rather extreme dislike for women. Or rather…he didn't like seeing a woman as an officer of the law…I mean the insults were just spewing out of his mouth like venom.

Already, I was beginning to hate my life.

"We don't have anything in common!" I snapped. "Even Officer Kennedy didn't go at great lengths to make me look like a five-year-old kid!"

"That's because Kennedy was too soft on you!" Chief Randall retorted. "He took your banter for five years because he acted the same way! It's time for a change Redfield and you need to get with the program!"

That was it.

There was no point in arguing with my boss. The yoga classes failed me, the local spa treatments failed me, and I was in over my head. But seriously, the guy who's easygoing is calling my last partner soft? Maybe Chief Randall wasn't feeling well or had a fight with his wife or older daughter. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed and by tomorrow, he'll tell me that Mr. Freeze was reassigned to another officer. Then that officer will probably lose their sanity in the process and jump out of a third story window, but hey as long as it wasn't me, I'll be fine.

I just had to wait until the next day and everything will return to normal. Ah-ha! That was the trick. I'll just have to survive today, go home, get some good Chinese food, get a night's rest and come back refreshed in the morning.

For now, I'll just have to handle Mr. Freeze on my own, since Chief Randall wasn't on my side.

So I did what any normal person in this situation would do. Taking a deep breath, I decided to calm down for the time being.

"You know what sir, I do need a change," I said, in the sweetest way possible. "You're absolutely right! I'm sure Officer Wesker and I will get along just fine!"

Chief Randall's eyebrow rose. "…Are you up to something Redfield? Because I swear on my newest grandchild's life, if you do anything to jeopardize my department or my job…"

"No, no! Everything is perfectly fine." I assured him with a smile. "Maybe I'll learn a thing or two from Mr. Free-I mean Officer Wesker, of course."

Great…he's still giving me that weird look.

I'm beginning to feel uneasy.

If only there was an option to run home and curl up in a ball under my covers.

Okay, how in the world do I convince him that I'm okay with this? Well, technically I wasn't exactly _'okay'_ with this, but how do you fake it?

"One minute you're up in arms about your new partner and now you're accepting this whole thing? You better be sincere with that remark Redfield. I don't want to hear anything about you causing trouble—"

Ah, innocence will do the trick. I just have to look _innocent-ish_ , if that's even a word.

So I feigned one of my best puppy-dog expressions. "Me, cause trouble? No, of course not! Why would I cause trouble? Like you said…it's time for a change. I'm willing to accept it. Really sir, I'll be fine."

And…he was still giving me that look. "Officer Redfield..."

"No, trust me chief, I'm perfectly fine with this!"

It only felt like an eternity, before he released me from his suspicious glare. "I'm glad…that you saw things my way Officer Redfield, but I'm keeping a close eye on you. Now get out of my office."

And so I did.

Tomorrow couldn't come any sooner.

* * *

 **Rule #2** **:** _Dealing with Chief Randall is also a test of the inner yen._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

A few revisions/adjustments here and there was made for this chapter. It hasn't changed completely. It was intended to make the story flow much better.


	3. Chapter 3: Getting Acquainted

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Three** : Getting Acquainted

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which getting acquainted with a freezer is virtually impossible. "_

* * *

[ **Time:** 11:30 a.m ]

* * *

Getting through the day was proving to be more difficult than I thought.

Why?

Well, let's just say that Mr. Freeze didn't talk.

Okay, it's not like he was just silent.

What I meant was that he didn't carry a conversation like a normal human being. The only thing I got from him was a monotone retort, a raised blond eyebrow and that creepy smirk that would make any child scream in terror. Apparently, the newspaper he was reading was more important than my 'friendly' talk because he didn't care about my hobbies, interests outside of work, or what he actually did aside from breaking a criminal's nose and insulting women. Maybe I was expecting too much, but it's not like I was asking him out on a date or something.

Come to think of it, even mentioning that sends a shiver down my spine.

And to make matters worse, my waitress friend Wendy was staring at him like a lovesick puppy while she delivered coffee to the construction workers across from our table. Why she hasn't burned some guy's pecker with coffee by now remains to be seen.

Not only was Mr. Freeze the coldest human being I have ever encountered in my life, he was a female magnet. From since we got into my car to the minute we arrived at my favorite café, women were just glaring at me. I could have sworn I heard a woman mutter under her breath _'she's way too lucky'_ when she passed by.

I guess that explains the whispers and jeers from every corner of the street. It's not like Mr. Freeze cared anyway, because he ignored it. Either a woman broke his heart, or he just didn't like women at all. I was the center of his sarcasm and unadulterated criticism, with the occasional insult here and there, of course, so that would explain things.

Okay, I know I haven't spoken about our perp in handcuffs at the local hospital last time. For the record, he had a broken nose but thankfully there were no teeth missing and he was, for the most part still recognizable. He was still freaking out over the whole incident and begged me to take him to lockup instead because he trusted me a lot more. Just to add to the traumatizing fear, I could have sworn Mr. Freeze snapped a pencil in half on purpose while filling out the report. It's not everyday that I have a perp fainting in the middle of the office for no apparent reason, unless he was on drugs or piss drunk.

I'm sure the criminals either passed away from heart attacks or ended up in mental institutions under Mr. Freeze's care.

Anyway, I can't say the trip to the café was a complete and utter disaster, unless you count Mr. Freeze lecturing me when I wanted to listen to _Steel Rain_ , instead of the international news station. I mean, yeah it's something I should listen to but with the crap I've been through, I wanted nothing more than to relax and listen to my favorite rockband.

" _How you can stand that junk is beyond my guess,"_ he said and proceeded to lecture me some more about being an officer of the law. So I raised the volume to drown out his yapping and stuck my tongue out. Alright, so that was pretty immature, but at this time, he was in my territory and I was going to have the last say.

So, majority rules.

In your face iceman.

I got my coffee, eggs, bacon, and two buttery pieces of toast to mow down while Mr. Freeze decided on black coffee with no sugar, let alone milk. How someone could even stand coffee like that is beyond my guess. It's probably a health thing but then again, I wouldn't know.

It's not easy to communicate with a caveman stuck in the Ice Age.

Trust me, I've tried.

But then again, if I gave up that easily, it would make this day more intolerable than I could stand, right?

"So, I heard you were some top CIA agent..." I began, as I stuffed my jaws with the heaven-sent goodness of cheesy eggs. Jake's Café made perhaps the best scrambled eggs on the planet. With cheddar and provolone cheese, red bell peppers, and onions mixed with fluffy goodness, it was my comfort food for lousy days.

The joint wasn't bad either, with the mahogany and red seated booths, overhanging red lamps that were stuck in the seventies, and polished wooden floors. Waitresses were dressed in red shirts and black dresses, complete with bow ties of the same red color. The owner – Joe Pastiche took over after his father passed away two years ago. I have to admit – the kid did good and kept the place in order so far.

It took me around fifteen minutes to get here, with traffic being merciful for the time being. Which wasn't saying much, because it was only a matter of time before the roadway apocalypse occurred. Trust me, getting stuck in Los Angeles traffic in the middle of a heatwave is a complete and utter nightmare. I will never forget that day when my air conditioner decided to stop working in my car while heading to the beach with my brother _(don't worry, we'll get to him soon)_.

Let's just say I wasn't a happy camper.

"…like…secret agent man or something. I have to say, I'm impressed. So tell me, why did you decide to join our lowly department? And what do you do for fun anyway? I mean, aside from busting a perp's nose in the middle of downtown Los Angeles."

Mr. Freeze didn't even look up from the newspaper. "...Are you genuinely curious, or is this another round of your fifty questions?"

I nearly choked over a piece of egg. "…What the…I was not asking a round of fifty questions! Can't you just act like a normal human being for once?! And yes, it my questions were genuine! There's nothing wrong with a simple conversation so we can clear the air and start over!"

I must have caught his attention, because the newspaper was lowered, and the frozen pits of the Antarctic was focused on me. "I prefer to keep our relationship professional. I don't see anything wrong with that, considering that we are on duty and I only accompanied you to this café because you wouldn't stop moaning about your morning coffee and breakfast. As much as it would amuse me to see you in such a state, I don't want a crippled partner on my hands. As for what I like to do for _'fun'_ , I enjoy silence, where ridiculous questions are nonexistent."

Is this guy for real?

Either this was purgatory, or this man was the devil and was sent to make my life a living hell.

"Okay, first of all, you accompanied me because the chief wants us to get acquainted. Second of all, my questions weren't ridiculous at all. Good grief, lighten up already! What in the world did I even do to you?"

"I'm sure Chief Randall briefed you about my credentials and why I was transferred in the first place. And I do not need to get acquainted with you."

Yes, just ignore everything else I just said, why don't you…

If looks could kill, Mr. Freeze would have been the one to fear me. It took everything in me not to scream and throw an entire plate of food at his head. He was just infuriating. Everything he said, it was just begging for me to just explode like a firecracker on New Year's Eve. But, instead of blowing my lid, I decided to shake it off.

"Okay Mr. Grouch, I guess I'll finish my breakfast for now. That way, you'll get some peace and quiet."

And so, the infamous eyebrow tipping showed up. "What a pleasant surprise...I expected another retort. I'm actually proud of you."

My grip tightened around the fork.

Mr. Freeze's gaze just disappeared into the newspaper once more, leaving me alone with my breakfast.

 _Son of a…_

It wasn't even worth finishing that thought at the moment.

Shaking my head, I turned away, picked up another forkful of eggs and chowed down. I'll just enjoy my breakfast and not even speak to him. Heck, the minute Kennedy and I met, we talked non-stop about our hobbies and interests but this man?

He was, by far unfunny and uninteresting.

And before I could get another bite in, Mr. Freeze speaks once more. "You chew like a cow Officer Redfield. I can hear it over the table."

I think my blood pressure shot up when he said that, because I did what no sane officer would have done in public. I jumped from my seat, marched over, and yanked the newspaper out of his hands. People began to stare, as a commotion developed around me. But did I care? No, because I ripped the newspaper to shreds and threw it in the nearby trash.

Then, I was back at the table, giving him a dirty glare. "Try saying that to my face instead of mumbling in your newspaper because believe me, I have no problems punching an officer, especially with an attitude like yours."

Mr. Freeze just lowered his hands, and turned to face me. "I only said what needed to be said. Your chewing was annoying, which in turn was distracting. I also don't think you'll get very far assaulting me. That, of course is a warning."

My eyes narrowed. "Won't get far? You either take that back or I'll make you eat those words!"

Mr. Freeze folded his arms, right in front of me. "You do realize that I don't have to move from this table to handle your childish tantrums, correct?"

"My childish tantrums?!" I yelled, throwing my hands up in the air. "You've been insulting me from since we entered this café! It's not like I didn't _try_ to be nice!"

"Being nice?" Mr. Freeze chuckled. No, it wasn't a good hearty laugh. It was a laugh that would make the bravest person cringe and hide under their bed. "I'm sorry, I don't consider sticking your tongue out, raising the volume of your radio to drown out my distaste of your choice of music, and stomping around as acceptable behavior. Oh, and let's not forget that little fiasco on Cortland Street."

I could have sworn a vein popped up on my forehead. "You know; I wouldn't have acted **_that_** way if you didn't act like an android with a stick shoved up his ass!"

"Your insults wounded me greatly." The sarcasm was so thick, that a butter knife was useless at this time.

"You think this is funny, don't you?"

"Why would I not find this amusing?"

"Because it's not!"

"It wasn't? Oh, I'm sorry, I must have mistaken your lack of maturity as amusement." That sarcasm was getting thicker alright.

I was seconds away from screaming. "Take it back."

He gave me an innocent look, all of which wasn't quite innocent to begin with. "Take what back exactly?"

"You know what I was referring to! I do not chew like a cow!"

"It was loud and distracting. It reminded me of a cow."

"You always seem to have this witty comeback. Day one, and I hate your guts already. One way or another, Chief Randall's going to see how much of a mistake it was to pair me with a sociopath."

"I appreciate your compliment, Officer Redfield. It warms my heart."

"That wasn't a compliment!"

"Coming from you, I'd say it was."

"You're really trying my patience, aren't you? This is your final warning. Apologize to me or I will take action."

"Take action? By all means, try, because I'm curious to see what they actually taught you at the academy."

"You're really pushing me to do this."

Mr. Freeze gave me another chilling smirk. "Yes, because as I mentioned, you won't get very far."

The hairs on my neck prickled, as my inner yen cracked.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

Yep, those classes didn't work, and I just made a mental note to strangle my trainer later on.

* * *

 **Rule #3** **:** _Keep your wits together, even if you're handling the devil himself._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

As always, thanks so much for the reviews! As stated, this is a reboot so there will be revisions. This chapter has been cleaned up, with some things taken out here and there.


	4. Chapter 4: My Brother, the Optimist

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Four** : My Brother, the Optimist

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which my brother's optimism almost makes things better. But then you have the whole burning down the kitchen thing so...not really."_

* * *

[ **Time:** 11:00 p.m]

* * *

My brother, no matter how bad things may seem, was an optimist. Whenever I cut my finger, he was the one who gave me the band aid and assured me that everything would be alright. When we were in the middle of a heatwave on the way to the beach when my air conditioner broke down _(remember that story I told you a few minutes ago?)_ , my brother assured me that everything would be alright, despite me fuming like a bull in the middle of Spanish bullfight.

But tonight…well tonight was different.

"…So…um…how was your day…?"

There was my brother, in the kitchen with a white coffee mug at the counter, his laptop opened and ready to work. It was at least eleven o'clock since I left the department for the night, so I was surprised to see him up this late. Usually, he either falls asleep on the couch with his shirt and tie on, or he's snoring upstairs like a big grizzly bear.

My brother was tall, beefy looking, and had that snugly quality about him. With short brown hair and those dark puppy dog eyes that seem to water whenever he's begging for something, any woman would fall for him in a heartbeat.

You see, there were days where Chris cheered me up after a day of chasing criminals and filling out paperwork all day.

But right now, I wasn't in the mood.

Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to drown my sorrows with a bottle of whiskey or wine. As much as I despised Mr. Freeze and everything he stood for, the inevitable was right in front of me.

Number one, he wasn't going away any time soon, and number two, he was the beginning of a nightmare. So wishing on a star and begging whatever deity existed out there for Chief Randall to change his mind wasn't going to work.

I would either go crazy or stand my ground and at this point, there was no way I was allowing Mr. Freeze to get the best of me.

You may wonder what happened in that café that led us to me coming home, and my brother giving me a nervous, lopsided smile. I mean, it's not like I won't give details of how Mr. Freeze knew more takedowns than Steven Seagal himself, or the fact that it was humiliating to the point I was freaking out.

…I really should have done my homework…

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

" _Get me out of these handcuffs!"_

 _I should have known better than to challenge Mr. Freeze. The minute I swung at him was the minute I found myself handcuffed to the table on the floor._

 _So, I was involved in yet another embarrassing situation._

 _Again._

 _For the third time today._

 _Let's not forget the perp that was traumatized earlier this morning._

 _Mr. Freeze just ignored my request, and sat at the table with a fresh newspaper in hand after a nervous construction worker gave it to him._

 _In fact, everyone was very nervous, including Jake Pistache, who came out of the kitchen to see what the hell was going on. Unfortunately for him, he found me on the floor, with Mr. Freeze assuring him that no harm was done to his business, only that he had to teach his new, immature partner a lesson. Wendy just gave me a rather sympathetic expression and tried not to stare at Mr. Freeze at the same time. Well, he did ask her for a coffee refill, so I guess staring at him was inevitable._

 _She nearly blacked out by the way._

" _Are you even listening?! You win! Let me go!"_

 _I received a hum of acknowledgement. "Of course I did. I warned you, and you decided to ignore it. Apologize, and I'll consider letting you go."_

 _Oh, he was just rubbing it in alright. I could just imagine his cold, unfeeling smirk through that newspaper._

" _I am not apologizing to you!" I snapped. "Get over yourself! That was a cheap shot and you know it! And you should be apologizing to me!"_

 _I just received another one of his short laughs. "Get over myself? I'm sorry, but you were the one who swung first, Officer Redfield. I did what any normal officer would do in that situation. Also, I have no reason to apologize for a simple observation."_

" _You were just lucky! Remember that!"_

" _That wasn't luck, I'm afraid. You swung, and I responded. I did warn you from the beginning but you chose to take the first swing."_

 _I glared at the newspaper. "I didn't expect you to…take me out like that!"_

" _What did you expect? Did you think I would sit here and allow you to hit me?"_

 _I wanted to say yes, but I was seething with rage._

 _Well gee, I guess I now know how it feels to be in those handcuffs after all._

" _My breakfast is getting cold!"_

 _Mr. Freeze was still reading the newspaper._ _"Yes, and you decided to escalate a minor incident for no logical reason. I'll let you finish your breakfast, once I receive an apology. Otherwise, you can sit there until I feel like moving."_

 _I glared at him. "…I hate you already!"_

" _The feeling is mutual, Officer Redfield."_

 _My teeth just ground together like coffee beans. "For the record, I don't chew like a cow! You're the one who started this in the first place!"_

" _The sound annoyed me and I was blunt with my comment. You could have ignored me, but you couldn't resist embarrassing yourself in this café. Then again, it doesn't surprise me, considering that you also embarrassed yourself in the middle of a public street." Just freaking great, another comeback._

 _Well, I wasn't moving from the floor or getting out of the handcuffs anytime soon, so I had to grovel and plead with Mr. Freeze to let me go. Which…led to an apology. Apologizing to Mr. Freeze was the last thing I wanted to do, but did I have a choice? No, because knowing him, he would have just left me here and head back to headquarters just to humiliate me even further._

 _I can just imagine Chief Randall with steam pouring out of his ears._

"… _Fine! I…I'm sorry okay? Just get me out of these things!"_

 _The minute I said that, the newspaper lowered and I was met with that dreaded cold smirk. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"_

* * *

 **[ Present]**

* * *

Now you've heard what happened in the café, I'll just tell you about the rest of my day.

Misery.

Sheer and utter misery.

I was practically forced to give Mr. Freeze a tour of our office division, while every woman in uniform gazed at him with dreamy eyes when we passed by. Chief Randall assumed we were just getting along fine. Oh sure, if you consider being handcuffed to a table at a public café as friendly banter. Thankfully, Mr. Freeze said nothing about the whole ordeal, otherwise I would have jumped on his back and whack him over the head with my shoe.

Trust me, that's how infuriated I was at the moment.

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

" _See, I knew you two would click off just fine. It's good to know that I made the right decision."_

 _Once again, I found myself in Chief Randall's office, with the exception of the human icicle standing next to me. Well okay, he was standing a few inches from me but it was close enough._

 _No Chief Randall, we were not getting along._

 _Yes, I want my old partner back, and Mr. Freeze is the devil incarnate._

 _Dammit Kennedy, why did you have to leave me?!_

"… _I found Officer Redfield to be quite interesting." No trace of emotion was on that face when he said that. I'm interesting?! Why in the hell is he leaving out the fact that he kept berating me that whole time we were together?! Not to mention the fact that he insulted my taste in music! "I think we'll get along just fine. I studied a file of her qualifications. She has an impressive record."_

 _He was just sugarcoating everything just to make himself look good._

 _Well, you know what? Two can play at that game!_

" _I also found Officer Wesker to be interesting as well." I said in my sweetest 'professional' voice. "…I think we'll get along just fine as well. In fact, I'm excited to learn more about him and see if I can pick up a few…things."_

 _Chief Randall nodded and smiled. "Good! That's what I like to hear. Officer Redfield, please give Officer Wesker a tour of our department for the time being, and have him come back when it's over. I need to speak with him."_

" _Will do chief."_

 _I turned away and headed for the door, with Mr. Freeze right behind me. Before I could open the door, he opened it for me._

" _Ladies first." That frigid smirk was back on his face._

 _I gave him a dirty look._

* * *

[ **Present** ]

* * *

Yeah, we couldn't have one of the guys give the newest officer a tour of the freaking floor. Oh no, just hand it over to his new partner that he tortured for two hours already. I bet he's secretly grinning at his triumphant victory at the café, but like I said, expressions with Mr. Freeze were unreadable, unless he gave me one of those cold smirks or that sarcastic laugh that was just as creepy.

…I should have called in sick today. No, scratch that, I should call in sick tomorrow. That way, I can stay home and pretend this never happened at all.

Then again…that's wishful thinking.

Well, since we're having this discussion, maybe I should explain my profession further in detail.

I was once a uniformed officer, until I moved up within the division. I'm now close to detective status, which allows me to wear as many Prada shoes as I want, not to mention working on the field with my Sunday best.

The same thing goes for Mr. Freeze…except that he has more experience than me. As much as I hated that simple fact, I did have a look at his file. Words cannot explain how much I learned about him in one sitting. He was an expert in technological warfare, explosives, medicine, tactical warfare, anti-terrorism, firearms, knew over ten different languages, and self-defense. In fact, I think I sat at my desk with a mouth that was wide enough to fit ten marshmallow puffs.

Consider my mind blown.

But still, it didn't change the fact that I was stuck with him and this partnership was going to be a test of my patience. Oh, Mr. Freeze said I'm a test of his patience? What about me hmm? What about me?! I'm the one who has to bear the insults and his disdain for women. I don't care what he says, he has it in for our kind! If it's a war he wants, then the war is on! If you think I'm allowing this humiliation to continue, then you are so wrong.

...Okay, so maybe I'm being too dramatic about that part.

But what did you expect from me anyway?

Well anyway, now that I've taken my stand against the Antichrist, let's get back to my brother, shall we?

You see, Chris Redfield was my cheery, happy go lucky brother. After his last wife kicked him out of the house and they had a divorce, I allowed him to move in with me as a temporary arrangement. I was the one bringing in the bucks and he was the lowly office guy who worked at his cubicle all day for a software company known as _Microtech_. The house is pretty big, with three bathrooms, three bedrooms, a huge entertainment center, a stocked kitchen, and a pool outside. My favorite colors were prevalent in each section – mahogany, and vanilla.

You see, it was my haven, my little sanctuary, where I just relaxed and had dinner parties whenever friends decided to come over. My brother had his set of friends he called over for the latest football game, while I called over my friends for a girl's movie night. Aside from nearly burning down the kitchen this morning and our dog howling in the middle of the night, my brother and I got along just fine.

But right now, I was seconds away from setting the house on fire with my rage.

Godzilla had nothing on me.

"Smashing," I said through gritted teeth in my best British impersonation, as I marched through the kitchen. "Just freaking smashing…"

My brother's smile disappeared almost immediately. "…So what happened that you're in a crappy mood? Bad day at work?"

The first thing I went for was the refrigerator.

I guess you could say that my kitchen was something out of a magazine. Three overhanging lights were above the granite counter, complete with mahogany cabinets at the bottom and the sink. The ceiling was vanilla, with gold trim. From there, you had more cabinets, combined with a microwave and oven on the far left, and the stove on the far right _(silver, just like the fridge)_. The floor was pristine and was just as white as my toothpaste. Thankfully, there were no disastrous results from the breakfast fiasco, which would have invoked my wrath even more.

I grabbed a bottle of wine that I kept chilled for minor occasions and closed the door. "What do you think Chris? You tell me."

"Uh…"

"You know what? Don't even answer that. I'll tell you exactly what happened. Let's see…the house was nearly burned down, I had to chase a purse snatching thief through downtown Los Angeles, and I have a new partner who's an asshole and intends to make my life a living hell. Somehow, it was my chief's brilliant idea to pair me with a frozen snow cone. Anything else you'd like to know?"

And of course, Chris apologized for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "I didn't mean to! I was trying to be nice! Okay, maybe I'm not really cracked up to be a chef but at least I cleaned up, right? It's not like I left it like that… "

"…and you would be sleeping on the porch if you did," I said, finishing the sentence for him. It was then that I noticed he was wearing a white shirt and blue boxer shorts. "What, you couldn't sleep that you're up this late?"

Chris scratched the back of his neck. "I'm…looking for an apartment. I might get promoted soon. Then again, I'm not sure if I can leave you in a big house by yourself like this. It's just a theory so don't quote me on moving anytime soon, okay?"

I placed the bottle on the counter. "Promoted?"

"Yeah, I just got my report today. The boss thinks I worked hard enough to get a chance at it. Feels like yesterday since Jill kicked me out. I wish that there could be some way for us to get back together."

Right…his ex-wife.

Well, I still talk with her on occasions and I could tell she still has feelings for Chris but cheating was a no-no in the law book of marriages. But then again, Chris insisted that Jill's friend came on to him first and things just happened. Thankfully they didn't have kids, otherwise this divorce would have gotten much nastier.

Through the battles of thrown clothes, burnt clothes _(she threw his clothes out and practically set fire to them in a pile)_ , and verbal exchanges that would make a sane Catholic wince, I was considered the mediator, along with our friends Rebecca, her boyfriend Billy, Sherry, her boyfriend Jake, and Barry along with his wife Polly.

So, I decided not to pry and let that comment slide. "...That's good Chris. I'm proud of you."

He gave me one of his happy-go-lucky smiles. "Thanks Clairebear." Then, his smile faded again. "Wow, so you have a new partner? You must hate his guts already. I thought they were going to let you go on your own? You know…considering that you're the one of the best on the force?"

"Apparently not." I replied, glaring at the bottle, with my hands on the counter. "They decided to give me a partner who's a sociopath, a former adviser to the president and has more experience than your average military sergeant."

Chris whistled. "He sounds intense. So why didn't you tell your chief that he's not a good fit?"

I love how he assumes that I haven't tried to tell Chief Randall that Mr. Freeze was bad for my health.

My brother, in a nutshell. Adorable at times, but other times I wanted to strangle him.

"Convince my chief that he's not a good fit? He thinks he's a god! He wouldn't shut up about his credentials! He forced me to show him around the department! I had women giving me death glares in the middle of the street because they thought he was my husband or boyfriend! I could have sworn a woman said that I had a hot husband! A very hot husband! On top of that, that jerk handcuffed me to a freaking café table!"

Chris stared at me like I had three eyes on my forehead. "Whoa, wait a minute, he handcuffed you to a table in the middle of a public cafe? What the heck did you do Claire?"

"I swung at him because he insulted me and said I chew like a cow! And before that, he closelined the perp I was chasing this morning for stealing some lady's purse! Then he terrorized the guy and had him faint in the middle of the office!"

"Ouch..."

"Even Wendy was staring at him like a lovesick puppy at the café!"

"Your waitress friend?"

"Yes!"

I received a low whistle for my rant. "…Well, that sounds like a really…bad day. Maybe taking a swing at this guy wasn't a good idea. I think you've met your match if this guy is as bad as you're saying— "

"My match? My match?!" I was seconds away from exploding. "No, he is not my match! One way or another, I'm getting my revenge!"

Chris winced at my voice, and then raised an eyebrow. "Uh...what kind of revenge are we talking about?"

I just gave me brother a cold smirk. "Oh you just wait. I'll make sure he never underestimates me again."

Yes, I am an officer with a plan.

Of course, my brother said that he didn't think it was a good idea, but I was just grinning the minute I placed that glass filled with Camelot goodness to my lips.

Mr. Freeze was messing with the wrong officer.

And I intended to prove it.

* * *

 **Rule #4** **:** _Optimism can be good sometimes. It gives you fuel to face the unknown. In other words, Chris' optimism made me realize one thing. I'm not going down versus this terminator of a new partner without a fight._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Thank you so much for the reviews I've received so far. I have one more chapter to go before I start posting new chapters. While I do appreciate new people adding my stories to their favorites/alerts, some reviews would be nice as well. I don't bite and I am willing to accept criticism, as long as it's not a blatant flame. Don't be afraid of letting me know what you think!

I've also made some signific adjustments to this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5: That Unexpected Guest

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Five** : That Unexpected Guest

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which Mr. Freeze shows up in my neighborhood, uninvited and Chief Randall thought it was a brilliant idea to speak to him about some important matter instead of me. What am I, chopped liver?!"_

* * *

[ **Tuesday** ]

* * *

Yes, I have a morning routine.

It was followed religiously every day and I never broke tradition, not even once. Chris had his own routine as well but that depended on not having late night sessions playing that stupid game known as _Soldier of Fortune_. He played it on his laptop and computer, facing off against another set of nerds destined to become the greatest operative that ever conquered the military world. From what I learned, it was some kind of a military shooter, where you apprehended terrorists and saved civilians. I might have played it once or twice but to be honest, I'd rather stick with my crossword puzzles and jrpgs _(Japanese role playing games, in case you didn't know that)_.

Chris had to leave for work for nine o'clock while I had the unflattering pleasure of leaving by seven. Everyone has their techniques for getting through a miserable day at work so here's mine.

* * *

 **Important Step** : Get up, and depending on my mood I'm actually refreshed ( _unless I hear my brother snoring next door and trust me, his snoring is louder than Niagara Falls)._

 _ **1.** Head for the bathroom._

 _ **2.** Take a fifteen-minute shower, encased in heat because warm showers relax my muscles and helps me feel more ready for the day (after taking off my pajamas)._

 _ **3.** Get out, wrap a towel around my body and hair._

 _ **4.** Wash my face, brush my teeth at the sink (hopefully my brother didn't leave facial hair lying around from shaving, otherwise I'm grabbing him by the ear and dragging him over here to clean up said mess)._

 _ **5.** Leave the bathroom, and head back to my room._

 _ **6.** Go for the closet and plan out my outfit._

 _ **7.** Execute said plan and g_ _et dressed._

 _ **8.** My brother is probably still asleep, dreaming about donuts or getting mauled by his ex-wife so I'll tiptoe downstairs towards the kitchen. If I have time, I'll grab a bagel and coffee to go. If not, then it's a quick trip to my favorite café, which as you guessed it, is the one I was in yesterday. (I usually play games on my phone or read the newspaper if I'm bored out of my skull but I am not like the hockey puck I have for a partner.)_

 _ **9.** Prepare for the purgatory dimension known as gridlock._

* * *

Organized, isn't it?

Well, anyway Chief Randall had a low tolerance for lateness, unless they were caught up in a life or death situation and needed backup. Today, was a fortunate day to be laid back because it was desk duty for me. I had reports to finish and files to organize. If there wasn't anything serious, like a code red or some other emergency, the day should go by without a hitch.

But then again, I had a new partner.

Yes…Mr. Freeze.

I usually had some weird dreams while I slept, but at least I didn't have a nightmare about Mr. Freeze choking the life out of me, or hanging me over a pit of lava by my leg while chuckling like a deranged psychopath.

That would probably be the scariest experience in my life and I would probably hide under my bed.

But anyways, let's talk about my room.

My room, is what you would call my 'second office'. Shelves were situated on both the left and right hand side, bone white and filled with books, knickknacks, and pictures of my parents and my brother. Most of them were holiday pictures, or when we were kids. Others were my graduation pictures from junior high, high school and college. I have to admit; I was pretty skinny during my years growing up. I didn't have an eating disorder or anything, but I was the athlete of the family. I participated in soccer, basketball, gymnastics and taekwondo during my freshman/senior years, which made me a bit of a natural.

My bed was on the right side and doubled into a couch. Bone white, with navy blue cushions and gray linens and a white comforter; they were my favorite colors. This couch was attached to the shelf on the right, where that alarm clock was, unfortunately. Then, in the middle of the room, there was my desk, complete with two large monitors, my keyboard, mouse, and the latest computer on the market. One monitor was for work _(you know, checking emails, research)_ , while the other was for recreational use. Embedded on the shelf structure to the left, was my walk-in closet with plenty of clothes for work, and civilian life.

And then you have my television, complete with cable and regular local news.

Despite what Mr. Freeze said while in my car, I did listen to the news. But I have a life outside of random robberies and murders.

Yawning, I got out of my bed, clad in a white t-shirt and blue marshmallow pajama pants. My blinds were closed, so sunlight was filtering through at a gradual pace. I walked over and pulled the shades, only to be greeted with beautiful sunlight, clear skies, tweeting birds, parked cars, and children waddling down the street with their parents to meet with the school bus…but something didn't seem right with this scenario. Someone oddly familiar was in front of my house with their arms folded, standing in front of a sleek black Audi that was polished from top to bottom.

No...just no.

Oh no.

This was not happening. I mean…this couldn't be happening.

Either I was still groggy or I was imagining things.

It was a tall blond, complete with sunglasses, a dark suit that would make _Agent Smith_ from the _Matrix_ jealous, with the emotional mannerisms of an ice cooler.

 _"What the hell is he doing here?!"_ I hissed under my breath in horror. _"How did he even know where I live?!"_

Oh...wait a minute. That really didn't sound quite right.

It was then that I recalled Mr. Freeze's words from yesterday. He studied my file to the point he knew it inside out. For him to even memorize my address was impressive enough but to be in front of my actual house…well this was freaking me out.

And to make matters even worse, my cellphone began to vibrate on my nightstand, indicating that I had an incoming call.

Please don't tell me that he had my number too!

I dreaded picking up my Samsung Razor.

I dreaded the fact that it was also seven o'clock in the morning.

Maybe…if I don't answer, he'll probably go away. I mean, who else would be calling me this early in the morning?

I found myself peeking out of the window again.

He was still there.

I couldn't tell if he was on his phone or not, but I could only assume he must have been using a headset.

Son of a…okay you know what? I won't even let the string of curses fly out of my mouth. I'm just going to try the whole _'soothing yen'_ power again and hope it works for today.

Scowling, I picked up my phone and pressed the button. "You better have a good reason as to why you're in front of my house okay? Just because we're…partners, doesn't mean you should can just show up out of the blue— "

" _You amuse me."_ Ah yes, the smug tone, even during this time in the morning. _"I do hope that you slept well, of course."_

"Well gee…" I said in my 'sweetest' voice possible. "…thanks so much for looking out for my well being. As you can see, I'm awake. I didn't need you calling my number…wait a minute, how did you get this number?"

" _Being a former CIA operative does have its perks, Officer Redfield. Your location and number wasn't difficult to note. How else would we communicate?"_

I didn't even have it in me to scream. Not only did he know where I lived, he had my work number.

Great, just freaking great.

"A sociopath and a stalker? Can you get any creepier?!"

Of course he ignored my response, just for good measure. _"I assume you will be ready in forty-five minutes? Chief Randall is expecting us."_

Wait a minute, what?

If Chief Randall had something important to share, he would call me right away. How in the world did he go over my head and call Mr. Freeze?

Of course, I was fuming.

Inwardly.

"And he called you so you can scare the heck out of me instead of calling me first?" I ground out. "I'm not a five year old kid that he needs you tell you anything so you can report to me."

" _You sound angry, Officer Redfield. I assumed that you would be thrilled with the news."_ That sarcasm was really getting to me.

Does he really think I'm getting in his car?! "For your information, I have my own car. I can get there myself. I don't need you picking me up, thank you very much."

 _"Considering that I had to sit in your car last night, listening to that horrid…rock music while we got acquainted, I prefer not to go through that experience again."_

"That was perfectly good music! Excuse me for not wanting to hear depressing stuff when I go through it every freaking day on the job!"

 _"I see nothing depressing about knowing about your surroundings."_

"Okay, you don't get to decide what I listen to, first of all and second of all, you could have just ignored my music."

 _"Ignore? I'm sorry, I don't believe I could ignore music that was loud enough to drown out my voice."_

"Well you know what? Don't be a jerk and that won't happen."

 _"A law enforcer is required to listen to local and world news to stay ahead of current events. They should have taught you that in the academy."_

"Are you serious? Okay, you know what? I'm not having this conversation. I'll be down in a couple of minutes and I'll drive in my own car, thanks. I don't want the neighbors to think I'm in trouble with the FBI or the freaking secret service."

 _"You continue to make things interesting for me."_

"I'm not here to make things interesting."

 _"And yet you are."_

Of course, Mr. Freeze decided to hang up before I could even respond.

My fingers gripped the phone until my knuckles whitened.

Just lovely.

I'm just going to hide under my bed and never come out.

Now the next morning of my work week is ruined.

* * *

 **Rule #5** **:** _When your new partner proves that he's a stalker, it's already a bad sign that things aren't going to end well._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

So this is the last chapter that's been revised. Like the other four chapters, things have been taken out and added here and there. After this chapter, there will be new material. Thanks for the people who did review so far and gave some constructive feedback. Don't worry, I won't have Claire as an angry person, constantly yelling and shouting. Her characterization does go beyond not standing her newest partner. I have plans for this story, which is why I decided to rewrite it from scratch in the first place.

This chapter is a bit short, but the coming chapters will be much longer.


	6. Chapter 6: The Briefing

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Six** : The Briefing

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which I have to go undercover as Officer Freezer's girlfriend to find out information on a drug shipment. Seriously, who's great idea was this?! Oh...that's right, my superior."_

* * *

[ **Time:** 10:30 a.m]

* * *

You see, I have absolutely no problem with high profile cases.

I've gone undercover as a stripper, a bartender, heck I was even a waitress. I had the best ones under my belt when I was working with Kennedy. Chief Randall can say whatever he wants about my former partner taking my banter or whatever, but Kennedy and I were the dynamic duo. Even he couldn't deny that when it came down to it, we took the bad guys down ninety-nine percent of the time. I would never forget the time where he took down ten perps in a hail of punches, kicks, and leather. He was a legend in the police department and had the low ranking males jealous. With good looks, expertise, humor and finesse, he was not only the nicest guy on the force, he was also a hit with the ladies.

Yes, I had a crush on him but never told him the way I felt because our relationship was friendly/professional and it would have made things very awkward. We do keep in touch when he's not busy with his new position on _Skype_ but it's not very often. So, it wasn't difficult to understand why a string of curses flew out of my mouth the minute I found out the inevitable.

But anyway, I wasn't surprised that Chief Randall mentioned a high profile case during the meeting in his office with two FBI agents and Mr. Freeze. The two agents were your standard black suits, white shirts and red/black tie guys. One was slim and was known as Agent Lorenzo Thomas. With short dark hair and piercing gray eyes, he wasn't bad looking. Agent Peter Wringer however, well somehow he knew Mr. Freeze and his reputation very well. He was the one with the black tie, sharp jaw, dark eyes and slick blond hair. He was built, almost like Mr. Freeze but wasn't very tall. I wanted to make a small joke that Peter might have been Mr. Freeze's brother or nearly identical twin, but it would have been out of place and Chief Randall would have given me one of his dark Clint Eastwood glares.

But that didn't have me pulling at my hair from the scalp.

It was the undercover work involved that had me fuming.

As if this frozen terminator for a partner couldn't get any worse…

Now, I was all for making Los Angeles a safe place to live in, especially from drug lords. There was a recent spike in drug cases, especially trafficking so this was very important. This investigation referred to an ongoing case that involved the F.B.I. Carlos Sanchez was a high ranking drug lord who was practically untouchable for around two years or so. He's suspected to be involved in a much larger operation in the Dominican Republic. He's been under the radar for months but for some reason, the F.B.I has been dragging their feet to apprehend the guy. Then again, I did hear that they had an inside agent who's been working closely with Sanchez as his right hand man.

Jeopardizing undercover work was a no-no in the handbook for detective work. Any wrong moves and all hell breaks loose.

So what does this have to do with our department?

Well, this operation included gathering information on a shipment that's happening in three days. There's supposed to be a meeting between Sanchez and lower ranking drug lords at a nightclub in downtown Los Angeles next week on a Wednesday night. They needed someone to go undercover as a low ranking drug lord that brings his girlfriend along for the ride.

Not a problem, right?

 _Wrong._

Seriously, when you ask me, of all L.A.P.D detectives to pretend that I'm the slutty girlfriend of Mr. Freeze for the sake of undercover work, you're just asking for trouble. Like serious, major, major double trouble. Heck, we haven't even gotten along since I found out he was my new partner!

And it's too soon to be working with that stuck up ice cube!

Is Chief Randall insane?!

Believe me, I was tempted to ask that question out loud, scream like a banshee, roll on the floor while frothing at the mouth, but the look on the chief's face indicated a no-nonsense, ' _you better not screw this up for me or I will have your badge number_ ' tone. And when the chief gives you that look, you better hold on to your badge for dear life. So I was forced to remain professional and vigilant, while Mr. Freeze somehow had the audacity to glance over at me and give me a tight lipped smirk. Of course, no one noticed because he was the master of deception and trickery.

I **hate** that smirk already.

It will haunt me for the rest of the freaking day.

The way he just does that makes you feel like you're in the middle of a horror movie, stuck with a homicidal killer stalking your every move.

But anyway, let's rewind to what happened after I got that call from Mr. Freeze, shall we?

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

" _Wait a minute, why are you still here?" I demanded, glaring at Mr. Freeze, which was still hard to do because of the height difference and him giving me that deadpanned look. You see, my car is in the garage and that's in the front. There's room for another car but my brother has yet to buy one for himself. Did I mention that his ex-wife took everything from him, including the van they shared together every morning when they went to work?_

 _Yea…which is why he's stuck with either mass transit or when he has to come in earlier than usual, he bums a ride with me. Trust me, Jill Valentine was not a very forgiving woman. It was understandable that Chris still had feelings for her, but it took me a while to convince him that the boat sailed and it was time to move on. Which was why I had to also coach him weeks ago that showing up on her doorstep with roses was just begging for her to burn them and call the cops on him._

 _Anyways, guess which car was blocking the driveway, where I have to get out?_

 _Yup, you guessed it, Mr. Freeze._

 _Just why...?!_

 _With anyone else, it would have been illegal and they would have received a hefty fine or have their car towed away. But Mr. Freeze somehow thinks that just because he's the law, he could just park where I have to pull out, just to infuriate me. Somehow he didn't get the memo that I was in no way, shape or form riding in his car. The whole music fiasco and him driving me half insane yesterday was enough for me to know that Mr. Freeze and I just didn't gel._

 _But this was just another way of making my life a living hell, of course._

" _Just because you're the law, doesn't mean you have to break it! Get out of my driveway, now. I think I made it clear that I'm driving in my car!"_

" _And what would Chief Officer Randall think if we show up in two separate cars?" Mr. Freeze asked in an innocent voice that I knew was anything but innocent. He just ignored the whole 'breaking the law' comment by the way. "You did, after all say that you were sure that we would get along just fine."_

" _Oh, don't you dare use those words against me!" I snapped. "I am not driving in that car with you and I am not driving with you in my car! I'm more than capable of driving to work myself!"_

" _Do you really want to start an argument in the middle of the street?"_

 _A miserable groan escaped from my lips._ " _I am not starting an argument! I said I was taking my own car during that phone conversation! You haven't a. moved and b. you're blocking my driveway when you know perfectly well it's— "_

" _Illegal?"_

" _Yes!"_

" _I'm actually proud that you know the law inside out Officer Redfield. But I have no intentions of moving until you comply to my request. I highly doubt your neighbor will just ignore us on the street."_

 _Oh God, that cold smirk again. If there's anything I can't stand is that smirk that mocks me at every little turn. No, he doesn't just smirk. He rubs it in, just to get under your skin to the point you're seconds away from pulling at your hair and clothes._

 _"What the hell are you talking about?"_

 _"Come now Officer Redfield, don't tell me that you didn't notice your crazy neighbor making her way towards us."_

 _Whoa, wait a minute...neighbor?_

 _It was then that I knew why he even said that._

 _At the corner of my eye, I could see Mrs. Schwartz walking her terrier down the street. She was only three blocks away from us and if she heard anything going on with Mr. Freeze and I, she would swear on her mother's grave that I was in trouble with the law, even though I was technically 'the law'. You see, Mrs. Schwartz has a bad habit of watching the news and being absolutely paranoid of everyone and everything. Just recently, there was a case on corrupted officers that were busted by the F.B.I for a conspiracy that I forgot about. Not every officer was pure and believed in what was right. Most officers believed that just because they could uphold the law, that meant they could break it whenever they want and not get caught. So chances are, with Mr. Freeze dressed like an F.B.I agent complete with the headset, and me dressed in a forest green shirt with my black pants and matching Mary-Jane shoes, she's going to think I was part of this case as a possible suspect._

 _Okay, just work with me here…this lady believes in UFOs and conspiracy theories and she will make a simple incident into a government cover up. Mr. Freeze must have had super vision because he knew she was coming down the street before I could even blink._

 _Oh no._

 _This can't be happening._

 _Great timing Claire._

 _Now all you need to top off yet another crappy morning is 'Conspiracy Schwartz' and her terrier sidekick Jojo._

 _I glared at him with as much force as I could muster. "Don't tell me that you knew about my neighborhood too!"_

 _Mr. Freeze didn't even hide the fact that he knew about it. "Ah yes, the senior making her way towards us. She has an interesting imagination. Imagine what she would think if she saw us. I'm sure she's going to believe some outlandish story and cause a ruckus in the middle of the street, yes? And we wouldn't want that, would we? That would make us late and Chief Randall would not be pleased with the results. Then I would have to tell him that a certain partner caused an incident, which made us late in the first place."_

 _Crap._

 _Just…crap._

 _The last thing I needed was Chief Randall on my case for arriving late. He won't blame the new guy because he already knows about me and the way I feel about Mr. Freeze. Nope, he'll just yell at me while I take the full brunt of spittle across my face. And then Mr. Freeze would just give me that tight lipped smirk while I'm being flayed alive._

"… _Shit." I muttered under my breath._

 _And that was when I found myself in the car of doom._

* * *

[ **Present** ]

* * *

Don't ask me how I survived that car ride or how it went.

Just don't.

Let's just say that I didn't say a word, let alone look at Mr. Freeze. I had my morning coffee, I had breakfast _(an English muffin with some butter and some grapes)_ but I was not a happy woman.

Fortunately, we got out of there before _Conspiracy Schwartz_ saw us. Dealing with her and the frozen watercooler would have been the worst experience since that rollercoaster Chris and I went on during Halloween night. With me screaming all the way down and Chris laughing at my horrified expression, it was easy to whack him across the head by the time we finished that ride.

But anyway, back to Chief Randall's office.

We were briefed on everything, including what to wear, the atmosphere, and what we were up against. Apparently Sanchez would have extra security around him because he's aware that the FBI is on his tail. What he doesn't know is that his closest henchman is an officer. Based on the information we received _(and I do hate referring to Freeze and myself as 'we' but professionalism comes first, even if I wanted to strangle him)_ , it was an upscale club, filled with rich junkies and spoiled brats with short skirts, scanty lipstick, and fake kisses to match. If we were going undercover, we would have to go in with style.

Now style was my middle name but the horror of being Mr. Freeze's love interest ate away at me like a flesh eating zombie. Not only has it been a day since I found out he was my new partner, we were already locked in a high profile case. Either Mr. Freeze still had connections with the CIA _(he probably did, considering his status)_ or this was a case that fell out of the blue and just happened to land on my lap.

Insert horrible, miserable day numero dos. **(1)**

I want to say things couldn't get any worse, but I'll be asking for trouble.

"I'm surprised Officer Redfield." Mr. Freeze somehow spoke when we were out of the office and heading for our respective desks.

Do you even want to know where they placed his desk?

That's right, across from my desk.

Chief Randall really wanted me to suffer.

"You conducted yourself in a rather professional manner in Chief Randall's office."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" How does he do that? How does he even know which buttons to press?!

"What do you think it means?"

"Would you mind not being cryptic?"

"How am I being cryptic? You managed to compose yourself in Chief Randall's office. I find that very interesting. Nevertheless, I look forward to working with you."

And before I could even utter another word, he's off to his desk and I just know that causing a scene in the middle of the department was a no-no.

Chief Randall really, really has it in for me.

* * *

 **Rule #6** : _High profile cases with a psychotic new partner should be a no-no- in an officer's handbook. Trust me, I'm vouching for that rule!_

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

I'm really sorry for the long wait to update this story, let alone the other ones. I've just been very busy with work and other things. Hopefully I will be able to update more stories. This chapter is a pretty good length so enjoy.

* * *

 **(1) numero dos** : The number two in Spanish.


	7. Chapter 7: Of Gossip and Invitations

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Seven** : Of Gossip and Invitations

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which I'm the court jester of the department because of Mr. Freeze and I'm invited to the apartment of doom. Seriously, did he just invite me to humiliate me further?!"_

* * *

[ **Time:** 12:00 p.m]

* * *

You know, there's a good reason why I don't go to the cafeteria at work. It's not because I refuse to socialize with my coworkers. It's not because I'm some edgy social reject with emotional issues.

It was the freaking gossip.

If it wasn't the gossip, it was a conspiracy against the coffee machine, If it wasn't that, it was the toilet paper bandit. Trust me, lots of weird conversations happened in the cafeteria.

The last thing I wanted was Vanessa and her love struck coworker surrounding me in the middle of my turkey sandwich.

They were sort of friendly, but at the same time they swooned over any new guy that was a stud muffin way too much for their own good. I will never forget when Kennedy begged me to go out with him for coffee just to get away from them. Kennedy was like the poster boy in the department and lowly female traffic officers were doing nearly everything under the sun to get his attention. Of course they had to be careful around their superiors, otherwise they would have been reprimanded already.

Little did they realize that Mr. Freeze wasn't like Kennedy.

But anyway, Mr. Freeze was missing in action since this morning, you know with the high profile case and everything. I mean he was at his desk doing paperwork, until I noticed that he received a call on his personal cellphone _(which looked expensive as all hell, mind you)_. He seemed really annoyed when he left the office to take the call. A part of me was like ' _Ah-ha! So the iceman does have emotions'_ , but at the same time I knew this guy was no joke.

So I kept my lips zipped.

The last thing I wanted was to be handcuffed to my office chair. Not that I was scared of Mr. Freeze, mind you but still, that café incident was embarrassing and is still ingrained into my memory. Let's just say that he grabbed my wrist, spun me around like a top and dropped me to the floor. Well, at least you know why I was on the floor in the first place.

The cafeteria was like a buffet style corner, with white walls and black tiles. They were reminiscent of our entire department and L.A.P.D colors. So yeah, it was a typical place where the detectives and low level officers hung out. We also had birthday parties and special ceremonies as well.

There were things laid out for breakfast, like eggs, toast, sausages, bacon, coffee, tea, and fruit. Another reason why I didn't eat in the cafeteria was because there would have to be a really good special to entice me. I'm also too fond of my special café for breakfast so I had my preferences. But for lunch, I didn't feel like going out, since the paperwork made me lazy enough to go out.

And on top of that, I didn't have my car.

So I endured the torture for the time being.

Someone shoot me.

If I have to hear how _'hot'_ or _'sexy'_ Mr. Freeze is again, I'm going to slap the nearest woman across the face.

Okay, I'm not going to deny that Mr. Freeze was ridiculously attractive to the point I blushed like a school girl yesterday but this guy was a certified stuck up snob. It's a bad sign when we couldn't even get along the first day we met. Hell, I don't even know if we'll get along during this case. He was judgmental, self centered and had no problems insulting a woman. That whole _'chewing like a cow'_ comment still has me fuming.

"I wonder if he's married?"

"I wonder if he has kids? I mean, if he's married, he probably has a really adorable kid, right?"

Oh freaking great, the marriage talks.

This always comes up during a conversation about hot men. That way, you can breath a sigh of relief when they're available for the taking-wait a minute, why am I even mentioning this?! Why did I even mention it to you?

You heard nothing okay? **_Nothing!_**

Lydia's dark eyes were focused on me the minute she asked that question. She was in her early thirties with short blond hair and hailed from an Ecuadorian background. From what I remembered, her family immigrated to the United States and she adopted the American culture rather quickly.

Hence asking me a question I don't know the answer to or I just don't care.

This woman was a _'manizer_ '. You know how they have the 'womanizer' variation for a guy who can't take his eyes off of any woman he encounters?

Well, Lydia was the equivalent of that.

"By all means, ask him," I said after a brief period of silence. "I really don't think it's any of my business because we just met yesterday and we weren't swapping love stories."

Lydia threw her hands up in the air in defense. "Look, I was just asking an innocent question okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Right…innocent. And I'm the Queen of England."

"Well gee, you're awfully grumpy today."

"Sue me."

Lydia rolled her eyes and drummed her manicured fingers on the table. How these girls made it past the academy is beyond my guess. Then again, Mr. Freeze did ask me that question when we first met.

Oh great, his sarcasm is starting to rub off on me. It's only a matter of time before I start wearing all black and I become a frozen icecube.

"You do know that you freaked out in Chief Randall's office and everyone knows, right?" Vanessa asked with a smirk before Lydia responded. "The walls aren't exactly sound proof. I'd say that you were excited over the news."

I nearly choked over a piece of turkey. Who in their right minds would be excited over a new partner like Mr. Freeze?! "Wait…what...!?"

Vanessa was trouble.

Pure unadulterated trouble.

If I didn't make her swear not to tell Kennedy about my feelings for him, all hell would have broken loose. She was a typical brunette _(so was I, but that's not the point)_ with brown eyes, long dark hair that was done in a bun, and a curvy frame. Lydia was more on the skinny side but she had her own brand of curves. They were both wearing the standard black L.A.P.D uniforms.

Vanessa's smirk grew wider. "Oh come on, you know what I meant. Can't really blame you to be honest. He's definitely a looker, probably more than Kennedy— "

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on Redfield, you know what I mean. Do you know how many women would love to be in your shoes right now?"

Okay, I was not having this at all. "Look, he's my new partner, not my boyfriend okay? And no woman would want to be in my position because he's insane!"

But you know, Vanessa being Vanessa decided to press forward. "Well, some…suggestions seem to be going around—"

I didn't even give her a chance to finish. "What suggestions?!"

And that was when her eyebrow rose. "Well…"

"Well what?"

"Well, you know..."

"Okay seriously, if you guys came over here to start trouble, then it's not working," I said, interrupting her. "I am not excited over him and never will be okay? We're just partners, no more, no less. We're not together and he would be the last man on earth I would ever consider dating, let alone have coffee with!"

That was when Vanessa laughed. "Oh come on Redfield, we're just pulling your strings so just take a chill pill okay? Most of the girls already know that he's a bit of an ice cube anyway. But seriously, you're lucky, just like you were with Kennedy. Maybe you'll be the one to melt that frozen heart."

The glare I gave her was enough to scorch the cafeteria. "Melt a frozen heart?! He's a freaking sociopath! He made my life hell the minute I found out he was replacing Kennedy! He freaks me out already so please, for the love of everything that's not encased in ice, stop talking about him!"

And that's when I got up, grabbed my lunch and dropped it in the trash.

Lunch break – ruined, just like the beginning of my day already.

Things couldn't possibly get any worse.

* * *

[ **Time:** 11:30 p.m]

* * *

"You want me to do what?!"

Either Mr. Freeze was on drugs or I didn't hear him correctly.

Here I am, making _my_ way towards the local bus stop _(remember when Mr. Freeze thought it would_ _be_ a _good idea to block my driveway in order to force me to ride with him to work?)_ , just glad that the day was over and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief _(trust me, paperwork is_ _ **not**_ _fun)_ , and Mr. Freeze shows up in his car with the window rolled down. He sounded as cold and emotionless as a robot, which wasn't surprising to begin with.

Now, I'm not a fan of public transportation. The last time I was on a bus, some guy coughed in my face and I was sick with a cold that lasted for a week. Sure I scrubbed my face to the point it was beet red but that wasn't enough to save me from germ city.

The whole fiasco in the cafeteria left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Vanessa and Lydia snickered over my reaction, which made the situation with Mr. Freeze even more annoying than what it was already. I wouldn't have been surprised if the entire department already knew about the high profile case and the fact that I have go undercover as a slutty whore of a low-level druglord.

I am still not happy about that.

But anyway, let's get back to the _'conversation'_.

"We are working on a case together. It's only fair that we discuss this case further in detail at my apartment. I would rather you didn't act like a child regarding this arrangement."

I just stopped and glared at him. "How long are you going to keep insulting me?! If we're partners, then maybe you should start respecting me okay?"

I could have sworn I heard a soft laugh coming from Mr. Freeze. "You haven't earned that respect yet, I'm afraid. How many times have you called me a sociopath? You should also keep in mind that I am your superior. "

I just gave him one of my own tight lipped smirks. "Right, my superior. I'm sure Chief Randall made you feel really fuzzy, warm and special inside mentioning that. Do you know what else I see? A sociopath with too many issues with women and an ego the size of Europe. Want me to keep going? Because I have plenty of observations coming up."

And he just ignores the women and ego part. "That's probably the fifth time you've used the word _'sociopath'_. That must be your favorite word."

There's no ending to this man's witty comebacks. Every time I say something, he has an answer for everything. No one has ever matched wits with me before, not even Kennedy. When I said something, it stuck, but with Mr. Freeze? Nope, he just brushes it aside as a harmless quip.

It's official...I am dealing with a professional sociopath. Yes, that's my favorite word because anyone who tortures another human being like Mr. Freeze has done to me is definitely a sociopath.

"Well, considering that you handcuffed me to a table and scared the holy hell out of a perp, I'm not sure what you expecting me to say. Don't blame me for mentioning something that's actually true."

"You proceeded to attack me when I warned you. As for the perp, he learned his lesson one way or another. I show little mercy towards incompetence."

I really wasn't having this conversation at all. "Okay, you know what? I'm going home. Call me when you want to discuss the case. Goodnight Officer Freezer."

As soon as I began walking again, the car started up, only to tail me.

Cue the low growl that rose from the back of my throat.

You know, Mr. Freeze is quite possibly the most annoying human being I have ever encountered in my life.

I mean, Chris can be a pain in the rear end when he wanted to be _(like when he nearly set the kitchen on fire…)_ , but this man…was insufferable. You would think he would get the hint and go away.

But no, not Mr. Freeze.

He has to tail me until I either commit suicide or give in to his command.

This must have been the _'hey, let's make Claire Redfield miserable'_ holiday. First a blocked driveway, then Vanessa and Lydia with their game of charades, and now he wants me to come over for tea and crumpets.

Maybe if I walked really fast down the street, a bus will miraculously show up and save me at the bus stop…

And that's what I did.

But Mr. Freeze wasn't having that. He revved up the engine enough to match my pace.

"Ignoring or insulting me doesn't change the situation, Officer Redfield. I assure you that dealing with this case will require careful planning. The earlier we go over the details, the better. Your childish antics only wastes valuable time."

"Oh, I insulted you? Good, then you know how I feel when you insult my intelligence. Also, there's nothing wrong with discussing that over the phone. I'm not coming over to your creepy dungeon so you can just forget it."

I was nearing the bus stop, which was a relief but was there a bus in sight?

Absolutely not.

Just freaking lovely. Way to fail public transportation, way to fail.

"I would really hate to inform Chief Randall about your insubordination. He may very well chew you out in front of your peers."

Did he seriously just try to blackmail me again? You have to admit that getting me into his car in the middle of my neighborhood was serious espionage work. It's like his voice led me to his car and I just got in without a will of my own.

Okay, now that's just creepy.

"No, no, and no. You're not blackmailing me again! I'm not falling for that trick again!"

"I have no intentions of blackmailing you Officer Redfield and I don't recall ever doing it."

"Oh really? You blocked my driveway this morning and forced me to drive in your car!"

"That was far from a blackmail. It was logic, all of which you decided to follow."

"So it's logic to block my driveway when I clearly told you that I was using my car?! And I only got in because I didn't want my neighbor thinking I was being arrested!"

"I fail to see why we should drive in separate vehicles. Also, your neighbor was at least half of the reason why you decided to get in."

Okay, that's it.

I stopped walking. The minute I did that, the car stopped. "Are you really doing this right now? I'm tired and would like to go home, if that's okay with you. We have plenty of time to discuss this case. Just seems like you're trying to make up for making my life hell between yesterday and today."

Again, I hear that soft laugh that's as warm-blooded as a psychopath in a random horror movie. "I highly doubt that. Either comply with my request or Chief Randall and I will have a long discussion about your refusal to follow a chain of command."

Oh no he didn't. I know he just didn't mention _'chain of command'_ right in front of me. "If you think for one second that I'm intimidated by your freaking threats, you are dead wrong. I'm not getting in that car. "

"Your body language tells a different tale, Officer Redfield. Therefore, I suggest that you get in."

"I'm not getting in your car!"

"I predict that you will."

"You can't tell me what to do! "

"Apparently I can, otherwise you wouldn't have complied with my request this morning."

"You blocked my driveway! It's not like I had any other choice!"

"You do realize that it will take a while for the bus to arrive?"

Wait, what?

Again, how does he do that?!

How do you just change a conversation in the middle of nowhere?!

I mean he's not wrong about waiting for a bus when it's close to midnight but one minute he was talking about the case; the next minute he mentions public transportation.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we call a brain fart.

"Um...well...I can still wait!"

"And you'll be waiting until one in the morning. I doubt that Chief Randall would be pleased with a late arrival to work."

"Well...uh..."

He literally had a point.

Los Angeles' transportation was just as bad as New York's transportation during rush hour. when you think about it. Which meant...hearing Chief Randall bark over my tardiness would cause a chain reaction throughout the department.

"...Damnit."

That infuriating smirk reared its ugly head again. "Well, it appears that I've won this little argument."

Is it possible to grind your teeth into dust?

Because my teeth are grinding together right about now.

* * *

 **Rule #7** **:** _My Redfield mode is broken. Note to self-it just doesn't work against megalomaniac_ _partners._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Yes, I'm still around. I've just been very busy with work and finding a new job. My updates have been very slow but I haven't forgot them at all! More updates are coming so please be patient! I'm really, really sorry for the delays. Thankfully I have a vacation coming up, which will allow me to update everything.


	8. Chapter 8: The Nerve!

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Eight** : The Nerve!

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which Mr. Freeze intends to make my life a living hell."_

* * *

[ **Time:** 11:45 p.m]

* * *

Mr. Freeze didn't live in a mansion.

It was far from a mansion.

I mean, not that I was assuming he lived in one but wherever he lived, I was almost certain that it wasn't cheap. I guess the perks of being a decorated government soldier guy was that you were able to maintain a hefty salary. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to know how much rent he paid every month in the first place. Either way, this man was anything but cheap.

Our ride was the same way when he decided to block my driveway and forced me to ride in his car—dull, lifeless and boring. Of course I ranted about him blackmailing me again and being a jerk, but as usual he was able to answer everything with a retort. He said things like 'your childish nature never fails to amuse me' and he hoped for Chief Randall's sake that I didn't screw up the investigation.

And because of that, I was never able to win the argument, no matter how many times I swore vengeance on Mr. Freeze for handcuffing me to a café table leg and playing mindgames.

What, you don't think anything he's done so far weren't mindgames?

Trust me, I can assure you that they were heartless, sociopathic games. The way he just gives me one of those creepy smirks, let alone how disgustingly 'sweet' he was in Chief Randall's office, it was enough for me to realize that this wasn't the average partner I was dealing with. Not that Kennedy was average, but Mr. Freeze took things to a whole new level.

This was a code red situation and I was just introduced to a new world of torture.

My hopes of Chief Randall realizing the error of his ways dwindled to the point it was completely useless and my inner yen classes have failed me in more ways than one. That reminds me, I still need to strangle my instructor this weekend.

And now here I am, muttering curses and rants under my breath as I followed Mr. Freeze into the elevator that led to his apartment. Somehow, it felt like I was in the middle of a horror movie yet again. I still can't believe I allowed him to manipulate me into this.

I'm pretty sure he heard me because he just glanced at me. And…I ended up swallowing the Dentyne fire gum I was just chewing.

I guess I should talk about Mr. Freeze's apartment more in detail. It was like one of those fancy commercial properties where the rich and famous lived in. It was encased in glass, from the revolving doors to the windows. There was a doorman and based on the black fancy suit and hat he wore, along with the clean shaved look, he was well paid. I was trying to determine whether I had seen this building before, but all I did was draw a blank.

Or maybe I was just irritated with Mr. Freeze.

Yeah, that's it.

Anyway, the floors were white marble, the walls were black marble, and even the elevators consisted of shiny metal. We did have to get pass security that took their jobs very seriously. Thankfully I didn't have a bag with me, otherwise everything would have been checked, right down to lipstick.

Mr. Freeze lived far from headquarters so I was able to see all the pretty nightlights. But I wasn't in the mood to admire scenery. I was in a car with my most hated enemy, while he listened to news that was either in German or Italian –I couldn't really tell.

I didn't really care by the way, just so you know.

If I did care, I would have screamed like a cheerleader on steroids and I am in no way, shape or fashion a fan of Mr. Freeze.

"I can't believe I even allowed you to blackmail me again!" I exclaimed, giving him a dirty look. "Is this how you manipulated your other partners? Trick them into doing everything you wanted them to do?"

"Why do you assume that I blackmailed you into discussing an important case?" Mr. Freeze asked, studying his phone. "Paranoia is a dangerous attribute, Officer Redfield."

"I am not paranoid!" I retorted, narrowing my eyes. "I told you that whatever you wanted to discuss, it could be done over the phone on a secured line— "

"And I said that our discussion of the case can't be done over the phone. I suggest not making things more complicated than they actually are." Did he seriously just interrupt me? No one interrupts me like that, not even my own brother!

Another low growl rose from the back of my throat. "I am not making things complicated! You did that on your own when you forced me to drive with you this morning! I don't see what's so hard about letting me wait for my lowly bus!"

"Partners discuss cases in person. You should consider my offer to drive you to your home an honor, considering that public transportation during this time is nonexistent." Oh sure, just ignore everything else why don't you?

"Why do you even care about me waiting on a bus anyway?" I shot back. "You've been hell bent on making my life a practical nightmare from since you arrived! Handcuffed me to a table in the middle of a cafe, shaming me in the middle of a public sidewalk and making Chief Randall think we're buddies!"

"One, you took a swing at me, two you embarrassed yourself when you failed to catch a simpleton, and three Chief Randall expects us to get along. You should be grateful I didn't mention your immature attitude towards me."

"W...What? I wasn't immature towards you! I would have been perfectly nice if you didn't start with me first!"

"I somehow doubt that."

"You're still a heartless...frozen T.V dinner!"

"Comparing me to a T.V dinner? Running out of insults, are we?"

"No, I got more where that came from! And why would you even think you're not heartless to begin with? Everything you've done up to this point was heartless! Blocking my driveway! Handcuffing me to a cafe table! What sane person does those things?!"

"And you considered that heartless? You caused everything on your own Officer Redfield. If I was indeed heartless, as you claimed, I would have allowed you to remain at that bus stop. Even if we didn't have a case to discuss, I would have offered you a ride."

…Did he just say that?

I must have heard things because I'm sure Mr. Freeze didn't just say that. He would have offered me a ride?! Yeah, sure, like I'm going to fall for that comment!

It's those mind tricks again!

I know what he's trying to do.

He's trying to make me think he's innocent but I'm not stupid and I wasn't born yesterday!

Is he serious?!

"Do you really expect me to believe that?! Like seriously? Do you really think I'm stupid or something? You would have offered me a ride home?! Oh sure, like I'm going to believe that!"

There was a sharp ping, indicating that we had reached the thirtieth floor. From what I read, the building had around thirty-two floors. From the thirtieth to the thirty-second floor, there were suite rooms that were larger than the ones downstairs. I mean, I lived in a well-balanced house that wasn't cheap either but this was beyond impressive.

The elevators opened, allowing me and Mr. Freeze to get off. It was only a matter of time before he stopped looking at his phone and smirked as those ice cubes of doom focused on me.

How anyone could have blue eyes like that is beyond the knowledge of the universe.

I still can't believe I'm standing next to him, in an elevator alone.

I must be either insane or drunk.

"It's not the matter of believing Officer Redfield," I heard Mr. Freeze say. "What matters is that it is the truth. But then again, you wounded my feelings greatly with those words. Also, I believe that you are an intelligent woman with mannerisms of a child and if you were to change, then maybe I would consider giving you more respect."

Oh, that sarcasm was thick alright. You know, I've noticed a pattern. Everything I've said to this man was met with a hint of well-hidden sarcasm.

It was beginning to infuriate me.

I didn't like that freaking sarcasm before and I don't like it now.

Before I could say anything, Mr. Freeze was out of the elevator.

If misery had a name, it would be the frozen hockey puck right in front of me. Pure, unadulterated misery, where you were the laughing stock of the department. I guess I should mention that some of the guys back at headquarters sympathized with me regarding my new partner.

More rants followed, as I followed Mr. Freeze out of the elevator. You know why? Because he just called me an intelligent woman with the mannerisms of a child!

The nerve of this man!

"Do you always rant like this or is it a once in a lifetime occurrence?"

If I glared at his retreating back any further, I would have probably burned a hole through his suit with my imaginary heat vision. "How am I ranting behind your back if you clearly heard everything I just said?"

"It's still considered talking behind someone's back."

"Well, I don't care okay? You're annoying!"

"Annoying? Is that a new insult or something I've heard already? As much as you admire me Officer Redfield, we should still keep our relationship professional."

Whoa, wait a minute, what the hell did he just suggest in the middle of the hallway?

I stopped walking in absolute shock.

There was no way in hell that Mr. Freeze suggested what I think he suggested in this hallway. I mean, did he just assume I was attracted to him?!

Okay…I think I threw up in my mouth a little.

Please Claire…gather what's left of your yen and take a deep breath. Breathe in, breathe out. Don't even attempt to jump the tall freezer in front of you. I repeat, do not engage the enemy.

Somehow, the pep talk with myself didn't work at all.

"What makes you think I'm even…are you insane?! My rants have absolutely nothing to do with that! Why do you…how do you do these things?! I am not into you, if you're even suggesting that! I would have to be insane or completely brainwashed by the likes of you!"

Mr. Freeze had the nerve to stop, turn around, and give me another innocent look. He has this habit of doing it, as if he hasn't done a single thing to piss me off.

I could have sworn a tumbleweed passed between us. "Do what things? You do realize that your incessant ranting only serves as amusement for me, yes? It was rather difficult to not take advantage of that."

I just stared at him. "I am not here for your amusement! And you know what? You would be the last person on the planet I would even admire, let alone give the time of day! I wouldn't even share a coffee break with you!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

"I meant every word!"

"But we did spend some time together at that cafe you love so much and you didn't object to our little trip to headquarters."

"That's because the chief made me do it and you blocked my driveway! How else was I supposed to get there?!"

"Hmm, interesting."

"What the heck is so interesting about what I said?!"

"Your denial and harmless quips."

"You are a freaking jerk, you know that? A frozen T.V dinner jerk!"

"Running out of insults again."

"Shut-up okay? Just shut-up!"

"Shut-up? I don't believe that's appropriate language to use in the line of duty."

I just glared at him. "And you would know that, huh? Mr. I'm-better-than-you?"

He brushes off my comment and gives me another one of those cold laughs. "...I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership, don't you think?"

Him and his freaking sarcasm!

"You…you…argh!"

I couldn't even finish my sentence because I was about to go off faster than a fireworks show.

"Argh...?" He repeated, tilting his head. "...what does that mean? Is that a new communicative word I've never heard of?"

…I had absolutely no words for that response.

None whatsoever.

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

Only a sane woman would have enough courage to execute a perfect plan of action when it came to Mr. Freeze. There was that time where I thought my sanity would have remained intact when dealing with sarcasm and sharp witted retorts but even I could tell that my sanity was slowly fading away.

No, it wasn't just slow.

It was an agonizing process.

By the time I reached my bedroom after two hours of hell with the frozen terminator, I did what I normally did when I was frustrated or completely overwhelmed.

I took it out on a random pillow.

 **"ARGH!"**

Unfortunately, my pillow sailed where no pillow has sailed before and smacked my brother in the face the minute I threw it towards the door and he decided to open it at the wrong time.

"Whoa!"

It was then that I heard his voice and realized what I'd done. "Sorry about that…"

"Good grief Claire! What the heck did I do this time?! I didn't set the kitchen on fire or left dirty clothes anywhere!"

I had the urge to roll my eyes. Sometimes, I think my brother would make a great actor. The dramatics were thicker than a script book. "It's not you! And what are you doing up anyway?"

"Well, excuse me for worrying about a sister who has a dangerous job to begin with! What happened to you anyway? Don't tell me it's that ex. commando guy that's your new partner."

The look on my face could only be described as mass murder.

"Oh…that bad huh?"

"Another day, ruined. Chief Randall has it in for me, I swear."

"…So what is it this time?"

I sighed.

Oh where do I begin?

Maybe I should just start with the most obvious start of the day, right?

"Oh, let's see…he blocked the driveway so I couldn't drive my car to work, I'm the joke of the department, and I ended up in his apartment to discuss a case where I have to go undercover as a slut while he plays as the low level drug lord— "

My brother looked at me as if I transformed into Godzilla right before him. "So…is that's what that whole thing outside was about?"

I was second away from throwing another pillow at his head. "…Please tell me you weren't up around that time and you didn't even try to back me up!"

Chris threw his hands up in defensive mode. "Look, I didn't really see the guy Claire! I mean, not that much, but I just got up! Besides, I was half asleep and I came downstairs to get some coffee. Did you forget I was off today? And what's this about a slut and a drug lord?"

"Okay, you know what, just forget it," I said, interrupting him before he became even more dramatic than usual. The truth is, I did remember Chris saying something about being off from work but I was so caught up with the sociopath of a partner that I forgot about it.

"Okay...but you still haven't told me about this case thing." Chris states the obvious in the best way he knew how.

This time, I was the one who sighed. "The case is confidential so I really can't talk much about it. But I have to go undercover as a prostitute and my…partner has to go undercover as a low ranking grunt. I mean, I don't even know how this is even going to work when he's been making my life a living hell in the space of two days! I wanted to discuss the case over the phone, but he said _'We have to discuss the case in person and blah, blah, flabbily blah'_!"

I did that in my best Schwarzenegger impersonation by the way. But of course, my brother had to make things worse. Sometimes, I'd like to strange him, but then again he's still my brother and I'm an officer close to that promotional rank as detective, so that wouldn't bode very well.

"...He wouldn't happen to be the tall, blond Agent Smith lookalike guy you were arguing with this morning, right?"

I just stared at him.

 **Un-freaking-believable.**

Either my brother is a sociopath in the making or he's just being an idiot at this point. You would think that my older sibling would come to my rescue, but no, stay inside Chris!

Way to be supportive!

Your sister could be getting choked by her new partner and you wouldn't defend her?!

"…I thought you didn't see much?"

"I mean yeah, I didn't see much but I did kind of see the guy and he looks scary as— "

"Chris, get out of my room before you suffer the wrath of my pillow."

"C'mon Claire, relax— "

I showed little mercy to my brother that night as I unleashed the fury of a hundred pillow slaps on his head.

* * *

 **Rule #8** **:** _There is no rule. I hate my life right now._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Thank you so much for the reviews, I appreciate them! Sorry this chapter took a while but I want to make this story as fun and non-repetitive as possible. I would like to encourage you to read Resident Evil: Endgame if you are into the Jake/Sherry pairing. I recently updated and would love some feedback. Constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged as well.

The chapters do get longer in this story so stay tuned! There will also be a flashback of what happened in that apartment next chapter. Heh, heh, heh.


	9. Chapter 9: He Has a Daughter?

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Nine:** He Has a Daughter?!

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which I question the sanity of the woman who was crazy enough to bear a child with Mr. Freeze. Has she seriously lost the plot?!"_

* * *

[ **Saturday** ]

* * *

[ **Time:** 1:00 p.m]

* * *

Contrary to what people thought about detectives, we do get some days off of work. In my case, I was lucky to get a Saturday or a Sunday off here and there, unless I was called in for an emergency. Of course, I had that upcoming assignment and Mr. Freeze to worry about, so I wasn't paying much attention to Rebecca. I did mention that Rebecca Chambers was a family friend and was on the crisis team whenever Chris wanted to rekindle things with Jill, right?

Well, Rebecca was also a shopaholic and was addicted to any shoes or clothes that weren't stapled down on display. I didn't want to believe Billy Coen _(her boyfriend that was a former criminal who turned his life around and now owns a mechanic shop)_ when he told me that he thought she had a shopping addiction, but now the writing was definitely on the wall.

We were probably in the ninth store in the biggest downtown Los Angeles mall staring at shoes. Well, she was staring at shoes, while I sat in complete misery, wondering what did I do to deserve Satan as a partner. That memory of being in his apartment was still fresh in my memory.

How _**do**_ I get into these things anyway?

Oh, that's right. I allowed Mr. Freeze to place me in a situation yet again where I couldn't say no because I feared the wrath of Chief Randall. Being reported for insubordination was a death sentence. That meant humiliating meetings, possible retraining, desk duty for the duration of your career, the works. Coupled with the fact that he had more experience than me _(which I couldn't deny, or pretend that I wasn't impressed to begin with)_ , and the chief was like a lovesick puppy who struck a gold mine, I didn't have much of a leg to stand on.

So let's go down memory lane, shall we?

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

" _You will follow my lead in this operation." I heard Mr. Freeze say, as I sat at the edge of the black leather couch in his apartment. Everything screamed expensive and a bad case of gothic black but really, what was I expecting from the one who wore black casually?_

 _We were in what you would call the living room. I didn't get to see the other parts of the apartment because let's face it, I wasn't here for the tour of the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The living room however, was clean to the point I could see my reflection on the black marble floor and the long rectangular glass coffee table. It was like no one lived here to begin with._

 _It's official, Mr. Freeze was a clean freak._

 _By the way, he made me pull off my Mary Janes and leave them by the door, Japanese style._

 _As much as I half expected him to make us sit on the floor to discuss the case, I was surprised to learn that I could actually sit on the couch while he paced back and forth, military style. I felt like I was in the middle of a drill sergeant moment, where spittle would fly if I got out of line. Then again, Mr. Freeze was a highly decorated officer in the Marines so there's that._

 _One more reason for me to respect him as my 'superior'. Yeah, I'll admit it alright, right after I end up in a mental institution singing 'kumbaya' while in a straight jacket._

" _Gee, way to state the obvious," I said, rolling my eyes. "It's not like I have a choice anyway, considering that I'm stuck with you. Can we get on with this? And could you please stop pacing? It's giving me a freaking headache!"_

 _Mr. Freeze just continued his slow pacing, you know, the whole thing where his suit jacket is off and I can practically see the way the hard muscles were outlined against his shirt—_

 _Wait a freaking minute, you didn't hear that from me and yes I'm swearing on my aunt's cheesecake again._

" _And why would I want to do that? Pacing allows me to think Officer Redfield and do keep in mind that you're in my apartment."_

 _I just glared up at him. "You have a retort for everything, don't you?"_

 _Finally, Mr. Freeze stopped and gave me an arched brow. "Perhaps if you didn't continue setting yourself up, I wouldn't have a retort at all. Carlos Sanchez is a difficult man to apprehend and I am more aware of his history than the L.A.P.D. To deal with him and get the information needed will require careful acting. I have read about your undercover operations but I'm also aware that they tend to go awry— "_

" _What do you mean go awry?" I demanded. "I mean yeah…things may have gone wrong here and there but I handled myself pretty well! And it's not like we're chasing after a mob boss or something! "_

" _While that may be true, the way you handled a random perp raises concerns."_

 _And that's when I stood up and got close and personal. No, my knees didn't wobble together, thank you very much. I was standing my ground without stammering like an idiot. I am cool as a cucumber, even though those frozen orbs are focused on my short frame._

 _The faint smell of aftershave and cologne surrounded me as I faced off against Mr. Freeze._

" _Look, you can say whatever you want about me, but when it comes to operations, I always deliver, otherwise I would have been doing a lousy desk job by now. It sure as heck wasn't perfect but I got the job done. One way or another, Sanchez is going down because guess what? I don't let guys like that breathe, let alone escape my grasp. Oh, and if I have to tolerate your presence, I expect a better form of respect, that way I can stop calling you a sociopath. Because if you don't knock off that passive-aggressive attitude, I'll be sure to let Chief Randall know exactly how I feel about you."_

 _My speech didn't even faze him._

 _He didn't even flinch!_

 _This really shouldn't surprise me but it somewhat did. My SRM mode was just ineffective at this point._

 _Mr. Freeze simply took a step forward and leaned over, which was enough to cause me to stumble back._

… _I think I ran out of Dentyne Ice to swallow. I mean, I had some in my bag but if I was to chew another piece, it would have gone down my throat already._

 _What the hell was he trying to do?!_

 _We were inches away from kissing, which freaked me out by the way._

 _It was then that he spoke close to my ear in a low voice. "And I said that you will have to earn that respect. For now, you're considered a rookie in my eyes."_

* * *

[ **Present** ]

* * *

And that's why I ended up throwing a pillow at Chris' head and screaming unintelligible gibberish. Mr. Freeze had the freaking nerve to call me a rookie, even though he claimed that he read my file! You know, if he did read my file, he would know that I was anything but a rookie!

I said that by the way.

You know what he said?

" _If you weren't a rookie, then you would have apprehended a simple purse thief. Come to think of it, it appears that you've had similar incidents like this in the past."_

 **Argh!**

I like how he says that he's not heartless and yet he attacks my reputation! He's been attacking my reputation since the first time we met! This man is relentless!

I tried to imagine the words 'JERK' right above his stupid blond head by the way.

Despite me wanting to slap him clear across the face, I was forced to hold in my 'fires from hell' rage in after remembering what happened at the café. We still went over details of the operation. As usual, a team was standing by, working from a remote communications van. Everything would be recorded through tracking devices that would be hidden in our clothing. Chief Randall, in all his infinite wisdom entrusted Mr. Freeze with calling the shots.

Just great.

"Hellooo, earth to Cllllaire Redfiiiielllld. Come back to usssssss."

A pair of fingers snapped in front of me, belonging to Rebecca. She sounded like a zombie by the way.

I jumped from my stupor and found myself staring at Rebecca and Jill as they stared back at me. Oh, I also forgot to mention that Jill decided to come along for the ride. She went to some store that sold rockstar t-shirts before she joined up with us.

Remember when I mentioned she was my brother's ex-wife and we were still close friends?

Me and Rebecca usually dragged her out of the house, that way she wouldn't rant about how all men were jackasses and how my brother was a complete jackass. I mean, this was my brother she was referring to but the 'jackass' part wasn't something I could argue against.

"Huh…what?" I muttered, completely forgetting how long I was sitting there.

Now Jill was considered a very attractive woman with long brown hair and a milky complexion that was something out of a fashion magazine. She was the type to get the hot guys but she swore off dating the minute she divorced Chris. I wasn't surprised either because what my brother did was stupid. I chastised him for two or three months before I accepted the fact that he really was sorry about the whole ordeal.

Still, there's that saying of _'woman hath no fury'_ or something like that.

Rebecca had more of a boyish cut to her brown hair, but that wasn't saying much because she was far from a tomboy. Not many guys came near her because the minute they heard that Billy Coen was her boyfriend, they backed off.

Let's just say that Billy had a reputation for being the toughest guy on the streets and leave it as that.

All three of us wore our jeans with different tops. I wore a simple Metallica t-shirt and my black Converse sneakers, Jill wore a blue shirt and black boots with a low heel, while Rebecca wore a lime green shirt and white Converse sneakers. We could have invited Sherry to our shopping madness but she was at a wedding with Jake in Mexico, but we'll get to them later.

"Wow, you've been out of it for a while," Jill said. "Are you sure nothing's bothering you?"

Right, I didn't tell my two best friends about Mr. Freeze. If I did tell them, one of the two things would happen. Rebecca would squeeze every little detail out of me and Jill would call him a jackass after hearing the hell I've gone through already, all of which I'd agree with her one hundred percent.

So what did I do?

I sighed, and then spilled the beans.

It didn't make any sense hiding it because I'll most likely be harassed for the rest of the evening. _'Meh, what's wrong with you Claire!' 'Meh, something's bothering you!' 'Meh, you haven't looked at my billionth display of shoes!'_

Trust me, I was not in the mood for that.

"…I have a new partner…that's why…" I muttered.

Jill and Rebecca's eyes widened.

"Wow, really?" Rebecca asked. "Why didn't you say anything?!"

"How is he? Is he as badass as that guy Leon?" Jill asked.

Yes, my friends met Leon once. Jill swore that he would have been a guy she would totally date if she wasn't married. At that time, she was still married to my brother. While Leon thought she was attractive, he said that he didn't want to be the one to break up a healthy relationship.

If only he knew...

"…It's hell on earth," I said, answering their questions. "Pure, unadulterated hell."

"…That bad?" Jill's eyebrow rose. Then a dark scowl developed on her face. "And you wonder why I said that all men are jackasses! Well, except your last partner but he's an exception! You're spilling the beans on this jackass right now!"

Before I could say anything, Jill grabbed my hand, forced me off the bench and dragged me out of the store with Rebecca yelling; "Wait for me!"

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

"He's a jackass! I freaking knew it! Men like that are no good Claire, no good at all!"

Way to state the obvious for the fifth time in a row Jill.

After wandering around for ten minutes searching for a good restaurant to eat lunch, we settled for this place called the _Willowbrook House_. It was towards the exits, that way we could reach the parking lot, navigate my car and leave for the evening. Usually we didn't get back from the mall until six or seven o'clock. Sometimes it was nine o'clock because Rebecca was a sales freak. Every time she heard about a sale, she dragged me and Jill along.

I loved my shopping but I didn't take it to the extreme.

I should mention the mall in detail. It had about ten floors that were filled to the brim with shoes and clothing stores. There were even bumper car rides on a separate floor and an arcade. Of course we never got to explore every floor but with the number of bags we had at the moment _(I counted about seven for Rebecca, one for me [I needed more body wash and bubble bath so I went to the bed and bath store] and two for Jill)_ Rebecca probably wasn't finished. It was also under construction, with building materials scattered here and there.

In the medical field, especially when you were a hot shot doctor, your pay was in the hundred-thousands. Rebecca was known for her books and interviews around the world. Sometimes we would get the medical researchers or enthusiasts come over and ask for her autograph but for today, we were left alone. Jill on the other hand worked as an administrative assistant for a law firm and was paid good money.

The _Willowbrook House_ was one of those places that were modeled after the burger restaurants in the sixties. Jill wouldn't stop moaning about eating a fat, juicy burger with lettuce, tomatoes and cheddar cheese so we came across this place during our search for lunch. I was hungry myself and didn't mind something that wasn't healthy. I was the type that ate salads and tuna sandwiches but a cheat day wasn't so bad here and there. So we were able to find a booth that all four of us could sit it.

The chairs were pink and cushy and went with the décor. There was even a bar like area with pink stools forming an oval. Black and white tiles made up the floor while the waiters and waitresses were dressed in white shirts with black bow-ties and matching pants or skirts. The menus were candy blue and pink, with the dishes written in a _Comic Sans_ font.

We all ordered frozen coca cola slushies _(yes, that was a thing)_ and some appetizers consisting of onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and garlic bread while we waited for our entrees.

I was sitting across from Jill on the right, while Rebecca sat next to her on the left.

I told Jill and Rebecca everything, starting from the first time I encountered Mr. Freeze, right up to being in his apartment. It felt good to unwind and unleash every little feeling I had for that freaking icecube. While friends can be growing pains, at the same time they were also useful when it came to maintaining what was left of your sanity. But then again, Jill didn't agree with strangling my yoga instructor, only that I needed to control my inner yen more when dealing with Mr. Freeze.

If only she knew that inner yen meant squat to a man that was intimidating and ridiculously attractive at the same time.

I swear that I _**am not**_ looking at Mr. Freeze ** _that_** kind of way. But I couldn't deny the fact that this man was dating material.

"Wow, your new partner sounds really intense." Rebecca agreed. "I mean, I feel really sorry for that purse thief, even if he was an asshole. To run right into a brick wall like that, have his nose busted and faint in the middle of a police department? He's probably going to have nightmares for the rest of his life."

"That man is a jackass." Jill took a sip from her slush as she ranted away. "No woman in her right mind would put up with that. I would nag the crap out of that chief just to make him see the error of his ways! What the hell was he thinking pairing you with him?!"

Yep, sixth time's a charm.

"You think I haven't tried?!" I took a bite out of an onion ring, chewed, swallowed and continued on. "Chief Randall thinks he's this godsend that's going to magically replace Leon and teach me all about discipline! And the fact that he's around thirty-nine or in his forties…he's assuming that just because he's older than me, he has what it takes just to shape me up! Because you know, he likes to remind me of his superiority and expertise!"

"Well, being a former CIA operative and some top honcho in the marine core caries a lot of weight," Rebecca said. "Still, it seems like you're in over your head."

"I am not in over my head! He may outrank me in experience but I'm not letting him get the best of me! Sooner or later, he's going to regret messing with me!"

"You shouldn't have even gone to his apartment!" Jill ranted. "You see, that's how they lure you, with their good looks and charm. Then you end up trapped and there's no way out! That apartment was a trap!"

A part of me wondered why I even mentioned Mr. Freeze. When Jill starts ranting, it's hard to get her to stop, especially when it involves a man and it reminded her of what Chris did in the first place.

"Well, it's not like I had much of a choice. I'm assigned to him on an important operation so he wanted to go over important details," I said, using my hands as quotation marks. "I said to him that we can discuss this over the phone but no, I had to go over to his place because he knew more than me. Oh, and did I forget to mention that he blocked my driveway on Thursday? I ended up in his car!"

"What do you mean you ended up in his car?" Jill demanded. "How did that happen?"

"I don't even know! It just happened because he blocked the driveway! And then Ms. Schwartz was there walking her dog and if I didn't get in, she would swear I'm in trouble with the FBI! You know how that old lady's mind works!"

"Oh yeah, she's a whack job." Rebecca shook her head. "I once heard her claim that UFO's were taking over the human race and that some of them were already here. She even said it was only a matter of time before they controlled the world. The things that woman comes up with…"

"Exactly! Like I said, I didn't even have a choice!"

"Where the hell was that oaf you call a brother?"

Jill doesn't even use Chris' name by the way. She just refers to him as an oaf or a _'jackass'_. Of course, I could tell her to take it easy with the insults but this _**is**_ my brother we're talking about here, you know the one that nearly set my kitchen on fire?

"Looking out the freaking window!"

"Seriously?!"

"Yes!"

"He just stared out the window? Are you freaking serious? He didn't even try to help you out? And how in the world did you just get in the car?! How did you just get in the car of a man that's making your life hell?! Have you learned anything from me Claire?!"

"I don't know! He was blocking the driveway and it was just the way he looked at me… **GAH**!"

The second onion ring I was about to stuff in my mouth flew out of my hand and landed on the table.

"...Gah?" Rebecca repeated, giving me a strange look. "What the heck was that supposed to mean?!"

I wasn't even paying attention to her. The minute I was about to spill my heart out to Jill, I saw what shouldn't have been seen. This was something that was guaranteed to give me day terrors and nightmares for the rest of my life.

Mr. Freeze.

Yes, Mr. Freeze.

We were either being stalked or this was the creepiest form of deja'vu I had ever seen in my years growing up. I wasn't the type to believe in that stuff, but this was beyond shenanigans and coincidence.

…No way.

Absolutely not.

Nope, that's just a man that looks like him.

I'm pretty sure I didn't have alcohol for the day and I'm hallucinating.

I was staring at a man who wore a black turtleneck, matching slacks, and holding the hand of a cute little girl. She was a mix between Asian and American. She had long black hair that was done in two pigtails and she wore jeans with a blue shirt that said _'Girl Power!'_ or something like that, encased in silver glitter. She was giggling, while what looked like Mr. Freeze stared down at her and gave her a genuine smile.

No, this wasn't a creepy smirk.

No, this wasn't the deadpanned stare that terrified my purse perp and caused him to pass out before lockup.

 **IT - WAS – A – FREAKING – GENUINE – SMILE.**

...I was either in the _Twilight Zone_ or an alternate universe where said tall blond was actually a nice guy. But then again, I should just pretend that this isn't Mr. Freeze and just let my friends know that everything was okay.

"Claire, what gives?" I heard Rebecca whisper in a low voice. She must have caught wind of the horrified look on my face.

Nope, I just panicked.

"…Put your menus up." I whispered back, still gazing at the horror in front of me.

"What the heck do you mean— "Jill began but I didn't have time for her to even ask stupid questions.

"Put your menus up!" I gave her a glare that told her to shut up.

"Okay, okay! You don't have to tell me twice!"

Jill and Rebecca followed my lead, as I held the menu up to my face.

…Now my weekend is practically ruined.

* * *

 **Rule #9:** _Never assume that you're free from your new partner. You never know when he'll show up and ruin your weekend._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Thanks so much for the reviews! I would like to welcome the newest readers and like I said, the chapters do get longer! I also added some tidbits here and there throughout the chapters and fixed errors. I had too much fun typing this chapter because I started cracking up towards the end, lol.


	10. Chapter 10: Into the Frying Pan

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Ten:** Into the Frying Pan

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which my friends are brainwashed by Mr. Freeze."_

* * *

I wasn't the type to just walk away and assume that the little girl with Mr. Freeze was his daughter. No, my curiosity involved a bit of detective work. If that was his daughter, then that would mean that he was probably married before or had a girlfriend. And that would tie in to that whole thing where he was annoyed and left the office for a couple of minutes during that day we received the briefing for the investigation. It could be a custody battle or something, which would humanize Mr. Freeze to a certain degree.

This was a working theory, just so you know.

Maybe he doesn't have some evil grudge towards women but why is he so hostile with me? And who on earth would be insane enough to date him, let alone marry?

Not that I was going to hold anything against him whatsoever. Then again, it was tempting, based on the hell he put me through. However, it's important to note that spy work should be done as stealth-wise as possible. That means keeping your friends in check and praying to whatever deity was out there that they did nothing to expose your location or embarrass you in the first place.

"Wait, who are we hiding from?" Rebecca whispered, confusion written all over her face.

"Yeah, what gives Claire?" Jill echoed.

I swallowed hard and said from behind my menu. "…He's in here."

"What do you mean he's in here?" Jill couldn't resist asking that silly question I wished she wouldn't ask.

"My new partner!"

"In here? As in…the restaurant here or outside in the mall?"

"In the freaking restaurant Jill!"

"Wait, how did that jackass know we were in here?! Has he been stalking you or something?"

I scowled at her. "How the hell should I know Jill? Keep those menus up! Do not screw this up for me, I'm warning you right now...!"

"...Oh wow, he's hot."

Of course, Rebecca had to turn away from her menu to look at my worst possible nightmare, ruining my train of thought and forgetting that one little fact that we were hiding from Mr. Freeze to begin with. Gee, I wonder what happened to him being a jerk?

Oh, I guess that disappeared the minute she saw him!

Did I also mention that my friends have a tendency to embarrass me when it comes to men?

I should have known!

"Rebecca!" I hissed, peeking up from my menu. "I need you to support me, not side with the freaking devil! What is wrong with you?! I don't want him to see us!"

"Wait, where's that stupid jackass?" Now Jill was peeking from her menu as she stood up and turned around in her seat. "I want to see what he looks like…uh…um...well…wow."

Just lovely.

Now I have two awestruck friends.

Even Jill even forgot for a minute that we're talking about a jackass here.

I shouldn't have told them that Mr. Freeze was here, let alone that he was my new partner. As much as I would have to deal with that scenario of 'meh, why are you so quiet Claire?', it would have been much better than what I was faced with right now.

Well, guess this was another episode of _'Claire makes yet another mistake in the wheel of misfortune! See what else she screws up!'_.

…I am so doomed.

You may wonder why he's still there with the little girl _(which looked around seven or eight years old)_. The restaurant was crowded and there were people waiting to be seated. We were lucky to get the last seats available, otherwise we would have waited too and things would have been much worse. There was a lot of commotion, with kids screaming and conversations here and there, but that didn't stop a few people to look our way and wonder what the hell was going on.

By the way, the poor teenage waiter explaining to Mr. Freeze that he'll have to wait looked like he was about to pass out.

As much as Mr. Freeze was a jerk, he also took intimidation to a whole new level.

"Jill, sit down!" I freaked out, jumping up to grab her by the edge of her shirt, but my menu toppled over and I was exposed.

"I just wanted to see him!"

"Would you sit down before he sees us, preferably me?!"

And just to make matters worse, our waitress came over just in time to see us _'fighting'_. Usually, when my brother senses that something is wrong, he would say _'that's no good'_. **(1)** Well, in this case, my Claire senses are tingling and I just know that this situation with Jill was not good at all.

"Um…is everything okay with you ladies?" She gave us one of those weird looks, like we were aliens from another planet. "I…just came over to let you know that your entrees will be around five more minutes."

Jill gave me a withered smile and mumbled an apology before she sat down. I tried to sit down as fast as my legs carried me but it was already too late. Mr. Freeze's gaze somehow zeroed in on my current location. And when I mean zeroed in, I mean that he was staring directly at me.

 _...Crap._

I couldn't even get the menu back up to my face.

I expected a slow, deliberate grin to make me jump out of my seat and run out, but the look on his face was surprised. Then again, it wasn't like we were supposed to meet in the middle of a random fast food restaurant that happens to be crowded. Or the fact that a little girl was with him and I could draw conclusions that it was either his daughter or he was babysitting.

I think the world just cracked in half.

Mr. Freeze displaying emotions other than the deadpan stare and the creepy smirks? Ladies and gentlemen, the universe we once knew just imploded on itself. I know I mentioned the genuine smile but this was freaky. The day that Mr. Freeze displays other emotions other than a cold stare and one of those _'you're an idiot'_ smirks is the day the world has met Armageddon.

He wasn't wearing his glasses, so I could see his subzero eyes well enough.

But then, his expression changed to the point I'm sure the temperature plunged in the restaurant. The monotone _'I am the terminator'_ stare was back.

I think my inner ghost ran out of my body by the way.

"Um…hello?" The waitress was still there. "I'm just asking if everything was okay."

"Um...that's perfectly fine!" Jill said, nervous as all hell. "We'll wait!"

The waitress nodded and walked off, while mumbling something about weird women and she needed a new gig. I found myself placing my head in my hands after being frozen from _'Dracula's gaze'_ two minutes ago. This was not happening. This was not happening at all. I am in my inner yen circle and I will calmly assess the situation—freaking hell, at this point I was flipping out.

Rebecca shook me. "What should we do?! I think he knows we're here— "

Great, way to state the obvious Rebecca. Next thing you'll tell me is that water is wet and the wind provides air for us to breathe. In fact, why don't you tell me that we need medicine when we're sick?!

"You know, if it wasn't for Jill, he wouldn't have known!" I snapped, glaring at Jill. "Now we can't get out of this restaurant because he's standing there! And seriously Rebecca? You had to look? Really?"

"I wanted to know what he looked like!" Rebecca began fiddling with the napkin in front of her. "Um...sorry?"

"Well I had to see what he looked like too!" Jill shot back. "I didn't know he was so…well, you know— "

"Did you completely forget he was a jackass?!" I hissed. "Why is it that my own friends are awestruck by a man that intends to make my life a living hell?! Am I the only one that lives in reality?"

"He's still a jackass!" Jill insisted. "He's just a very attractive jackass…!"

"I know he's attractive Jill! Gee, what a way to state the obvious! It doesn't change anything!"

"Wait a minute, are you blushing? Your face got red for a minute there Claire. I'm dead serious…"

I just stared at her with the worst horrified look I could muster. "W…What?! I was not blushing? What the hell are you on Jill?"

"I'm not kidding Claire— "

"How could you even suggest that?!"

"Your face got red the minute I said he was…well you know!" I couldn't tell if she sounded excited or not but either way I was about to squash this fantasy of hers. Where in the world did she get the idea that I was blushing? Now I don't know if she was joking around or not but the look on her face indicated that she wasn't.

 _What have I done?_

"No it didn't!"

"It did! I swear!"

"Shut up Jill!"

"Um guys, I think he's coming over here." Rebecca's head was turned and she was staring yet again. "Along with the little girl."

My horrified expression was even more horrified than before.

Mr. Freeze didn't do what I was beginning to think he did. The only way for him to come over is if he just told the waiter that he had friends in the restaurant and he was sitting with them. Then if I objected or said anything, then everyone would sympathize with him and that little girl.

I don't trust this man at all.

Why was this happening to me?!

I was just fine when Kennedy left! I wasn't in need of a new partner! I was taking down the muggers and criminals just fine by myself! And now I must deal with a man who somewhat has a daughter and is more humanized than I thought. But I will not stop calling him Mr. Freeze because guess what? He's still a frozen television dinner in my eyes!

 **Worst. Saturday. Ever.**

This encounter was nothing more than a dark, miserable fate. I don't even know what I did to deserve this. I must have angered somebody and they placed this curse on me. That's right, someone had it in for me because there is no way that this could be happening in the space of four days.

It didn't take long for Mr. Freeze to reach the table. I mean, he wasn't even hiding the fact that the little girl in question was his daughter. He just walked over like this wasn't even a big secret. I…really couldn't deny that the girl was adorable and in some ways looked like him, except that she wasn't wearing a malicious smirk and her hair wasn't blond.

Maybe her mother wasn't a conniving woman and just lived a normal life until she crossed paths with Mr. Freeze. I can imagine him swaying her with his looks, only to bring her until his control. Okay, maybe I was watching too many horror movies but him having a wife/girlfriend and producing a child? Never in a million years would I ever think this was possible.

"Well, well, this is a surprise."

That casual tone was enough to make me grab Jill by the throat and strangle her.

My teeth ground together like coffee beans again. My attempts to stay incognito has been ruined by my two good friends who were supposed to be on my side.

"Yes…it certainly…is." I managed to choke out. "What brings you…here? Don't you think it's coincidence that we're here, together in a random restaurant …?"

That son of a…okay you know what? I won't even go there. To go there would mean killing both of my friends and running out of the restaurant as fast as I could.

Mr. Freeze just gave me one of those deliberate smirks and said; "Why yes, it is, Officer Redfield."

"Daddy, is that your partner?" Can you even imagine Mr. Freeze having a daughter? Like really?!

Rebecca and Jill's jaws dropped open to the point they could easily win the chubby bunny challenge.

"Yes, Lin." No trace of malice was in those words at all. I swear, it was like a casual talk between a father and a daughter. Oh, sure, give me that dark smirk but change your tune for the girl! "I'm sure that Ms. Redfield won't mind accommodating us for the time being, yes? We can share the bill, of course and I'm sure her friends won't mind."

"What the he— "I began but I felt a kick under the table, causing me to yelp. Rebecca recovered from the shock and gave me as look that clearly said _'not in front of the kid'_.

"No, of…of… course not!" Jill recovered as well and was now stammering like a bobble head.

If glares could kill, Jill would have been murdered on the spot.

She would have been castrated and hung out to dry.

"I'm sure Claire wouldn't mind, right? I mean after all; you guys do know each other and— "

"Um…I need to talk to my friends in private." I interrupted, cutting Jill off and rushing to get out of my seat. "You know, girl talk? Where guys aren't allowed and it's just girls only? We'll be back in a few."

Of course, Rebecca and Jill followed me, considering that I gave them glares at the corner of my eye.

"I do hope that you're not using this _'girl talk'_ to get out of this arrangement." Mr. Freeze said. "I would be very disappointed if you tried to run away, with my daughter present. We should get acquainted, after all there's no harm in having a pleasant conversation and giving proper introductions. I'm sure you'll agree, yes?"

And…we've just stepped into a frying pan, filled with hot, grease infested oil.

I gave him a wary, miserable look. "I…um, wouldn't dream of it! I mean, how could you think I'm going to just run off with my friends? Of course not! As creepy as...uh...it is to meet like this...I'm perfectly okay with it! We'll be out sooner than you think!"

And that's when I dragged Jill and Rebecca towards the pathway leading to the restrooms.

I…hate my life right now.

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

"Jill, what the heck did you do?!" I screeched, waving my arms around like a frustrated monkey demanding to be fed bananas. "Don't you see what he was trying to do?! He's the devil incarnate! Are you insane? Inviting him and that little girl to sit with us while I'm sitting there?! How could you even do this?!"

"How is this even my fault?!" Jill shot back. "I wanted to see what he looked like! You're the one who got up in the first place! It can't be that bad! He has a cute little girl with him and they were probably standing there for a while! You know, which happens to be his daughter!"

"That little girl is a trap! You didn't see those smirks he was giving me?! And you're the one who got up first!"

"What the heck does that even mean? And what smirks?"

"In the space of two days, I've figured out how deceptive that man is! You guys got manipulated! Or did you forget agreeing that he was a jackass? And how could you not see that? How could you not remember what he just said? That means that we're stuck in this restaurant with no way of getting out with him sitting there! Are you guys happy now?! Saturday afternoon completely ruined, thanks to my friends ogling the worst man on the planet!"

"Claire, don't you think you're being a bit too melodramatic?" Rebecca chimed in. "I mean, you were practically turning red the minute he was approaching our table— "

"My face was not red! What the hell are you insinuating Rebecca?! And I am not overreacting! Overreacting would be slamming my head against the wall! You guys placed me in a difficult situation here! You do realize that he's going to sit next to me, right? Right next to me!"

"I wasn't insinuating anything! I'm just suggesting that you should probably calm down a bit and that your face— "

"Rebecca, I'm warning you!"

"What? I'm just saying—"

"Zip it Rebecca!"

"But—"

"Look, I have an idea that will solve this whole thing!" Jill interrupted, cutting Rebecca off. "We'll just go back in, act normal and cool our heads off. I mean, what better way than to start a conversation about him? I mean, you said that he was in the military and was some top CIA guy, which makes for an interesting conversation, right? He wouldn't even have time to notice you Claire."

"Or…we could always start a food fight!" Rebecca suggested. "I mean, it worked in the movies, right? I could order a couple of pies and..."

I groaned and smacked my head into the wall next to the ceramic sinks but not hard enough to knock myself out. I mean, knocking myself out would have been the best option I ever took to get out of this mess. But then again, I could wake up in a hospital room with Mr. Freeze staring right at me, causing me to scream and fall out of the hospital bed on my ass.

The bathrooms were clean, for the most part, perhaps the cleanest one I've ever been to since that fancy Italian restaurant Chris took me to for my birthday. The colors were the same as the restaurant and had that same sixties feel to it. Thankfully, we were the only ones in the bathroom, otherwise we would have gotten more weird looks from other women using the restroom.

"No Rebecca, we are not starting a food fight." I muttered, interrupting her. "Not only will Chief Randall hear about this, I'm not sure how my new partner would react to a pie being thrown at his face, as much as he's a jerk. Let's just…get back in there and try to ride this one out." Then my head lifted and I glared at them again. "And you two will not cause any more trouble, otherwise I'm going to strangle both of you in this freaking restaurant! And you!"

I pointed my finger at Jill. "I better not hear anything more about me blushing because my face was not red okay? You got that? My face was not red! Even if it was red, it wasn't because of him! And I don't want to see you or Rebecca flirting with him! Flirting does not and will not work with him! And for the last time, whatever you do, don't embarrass me!"

"We didn't even embarrass you in the first place!" Jill insisted. "I just suggested that we should let them sit with us because of the little girl! I just thought it was cute how he was holding her hand and— "

"Jill, just stop."

"But— "

"Jill, zip it right now okay? Zip it! We go back out there and pretend none of this happened!"

"Well technically we can't because…wait what was his name again?"

I just stared at Rebecca.

And stared.

This wasn't going to work out.

And I'm going to lose my sanity by the time this day is over.

* * *

 **Rule #10:** _Friends can be trouble sometimes._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Thanks so much for the reviews, I really appreciate them! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and next chapter is going to be even more fun. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I had fun writing it because I imagined this whole scene while I was typing it.

Will Claire keep her sanity? Will her friends try their best not to embarrass her further? The next chapter's going to be even more fun...

 **(1)** My high school Math teacher would always say _'that's no good'_ when something came up, ha ha.


	11. Chapter 11: The Forbidden Word

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Eleven:** The Forbidden Word

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which Rebecca makes a date and a forbidden word slips out."_

* * *

Mr. Freeze was a nerd.

He was a hardcore nerd with the IQ of Albert Einstein.

Not only was he a sociopath _(he's **definitely** a sociopath so don't try to argue with me!)_ with extensive military and CIA experience _(I won't even go into the other roles he's been in because even I have to admit his resume was impressive)_ , he was very interested in Science. I mean, I did well when it came to Chemistry and things that that involved the human anatomy, but I hated those subjects. They were boring and were enough for me to fall asleep in class during my college years.

He was very interested in Rebecca's work, because he listened to every word she had to say. Of course, I could see that Rebecca was stammering over her words like a lovesick puppy, while Jill toyed with a napkin to keep herself from fidgeting.

This has got to be a world record for Mr. Freeze to display emotions that didn't involve cold smirks and jeers.

It was only so much of this scientific chit-chat I could take. The way they were going back and forth about the possibilities of DNA predicting a face and gene mutations, you'd think I was in the middle of a college session, cramming as much notes as possible while the professor rambled on. **(1)**

First, he ruins my life and now he's taking my friends away from me?!

How the hell do I get out of a situation like this, aside from starting a food fight?

Okay, I was the one who told Rebecca that it wasn't a good idea, but at this point, I wanted to do everything possible to disrupt this conversation. It was only so much I could take from Rebecca blushing like a plum tomato.

I still can't believe this is happening to me.

Our food eventually came _(causing Mr. Freeze to raise an eyebrow for whatever strange reason)_ , followed by his order of a grilled chicken salad _(he eats food?!)_ , and his daughter's kid menu of apple slices, and a grilled chicken sandwich. I half expected him to point out that our fatty, greasy burgers were unhealthy or whatever, but he didn't even say a word. He was just interested in Rebecca's work and her book. Meanwhile, I'm sitting right next to him and trying my best to not scream, jump over the chairs and run out of the restaurant.

"I would certainly love a copy of your new book," Mr. Freeze was saying, as he ate a grape tomato. Like seriously, you can't even hear him chew. He eats for a couple of minutes before he swallows. You'd think he was the King of freaking England or something. Here I am, picking away at my burger and fries while he enjoys his salad and flirting with my friend in his own twisted way.

How do I know this?

Oh, I don't know, based on the way he's just giving her a genuine smile _(this is still terrifying by the way)_ and talking with no form of malice behind his words?

I thought he hated women?!

How is it that he can lead a normal conversation with my friend and yet act this way towards me?! There must be something I'm missing here!

"I believe I've heard of you before but I couldn't place my finger on where. Either way, I'm very impressed with your work. I couldn't imagine you as a scientist, but a woman with your intelligence, it shouldn't be surprising."

"Um…thanks…" Rebecca said, with a nervous laugh. "I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do in college but I guess Chemistry and Science just clicked with me."

Mr. Freeze nodded. "It is difficult to know where your passion lies in college, but once you find your path, it's very satisfying."

"I um…definitely agree with that. To think I wanted to be a dancer when I was in high school."

"A dancer? Interesting."

"Yea, it was definitely something. I actually wanted to be one of the dancers in music videos."

"What made you get into the field of Science, aside from college?"

"My father was a doctor and he got me interested in the field. I also was a sucker for helping people."

"I see."

Okay, time to interrupt this conversation before I barf. Seriously, if he ended up asking her out to coffee, the contents of my stomach would have been on the table, scattered everywhere in not-so-pleasant chunks.

"So, um…enough of Rebecca," I said in my sweetest voice possible. "What about you? I'm sure you have some stories to share, right?"

Mr. Freeze picks up a sizable portion of salad with his fork. He didn't even look at me by the way. "And what would you like to know Officer Redfield, aside from what was in my file? I would think that we had this conversation before."

I nearly choked over my spittle. "…Well I know enough about you, based on your reputation and everything. It's… just that…my friends…um…don't know about you…?"

"Yeah, I'm curious." Rebecca chimed in.

"I'm genuinely curious too!" Jill said, agreeing with Rebecca. "I heard from Claire here that you used to be in the military? I know a few guy friends that were in the Navy and Coast Guard so I find that pretty interesting and patriotic."

Damnit Jill!

"The military was not my first choice." Mr. Freeze raised the fork to his lips and ate. He chewed for what seemed to be a minute or two and swallowed. "I find it interesting that you are a lawyer. I had some interests in studying law, however circumstances played a role. I was in the Navy as well, but I did consider the Airforce. I was interested in planes."

"Really?" Rebecca asked. "That's kind of crazy because I like planes too."

Okay, someone prepare my barf bag.

As much as it's easy to just assume that Rebecca was flirting with Mr. Freeze _(and it felt that way in a weird, awkward way)_ and vice versa, she did enjoy planes. Rebecca got into the hobby when she was younger because her father would collect miniature versions of World War II planes and have them scattered across his office desk. Her father was also a doctor and a famous one at that. Rebecca would say that her father would take her to military exhibits and buy her a collection of her own miniature planes. She still has that collection by the way.

This is just pure coincidence that they just so happen to have the same interests in planes, let alone Science.

Oh God, please don't tell me they're going to start a conversation about planes.

Please don't.

I glanced at Mr. Freeze's daughter. She's just munching away at her lunch and drinking her juice. I couldn't deny that she was well mannered for her age. It's like she understood that adult conversations were going on and she knew when to stay out of it. You know how kids tend to interrupt conversations and embarrass you right in front of friends? Well, Mr. Freeze's daughter was completely different. She was the type of daughter you'd be proud to have.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but then again if you have a father that was in the freaking military and has the mannerisms of a frozen gelato cup, you're bound to not piss him off. Great, I can imagine what's going to happen when she grows up and wants a boyfriend. Can you imagine how Mr. Freeze would react? I would have to feel sorry for the poor guy because he'd most likely crap his pants or crash into a wall several times to get away from Mr. Freeze in a panic to reach the door.

Maybe I'm looking too far into this.

Maybe I'm ranting away because this lunch is getting more and more uncomfortable by the hour.

My prayers of Mr. Freeze and Rebecca not discussing planes were not answered at all.

The unnamed deity has failed me again.

"Is that so?" Mr. Freeze asked with a smirk. Oh no, no, no this was not a malicious smirk. It was one of those _'I'm very interested'_ smirks. It was a smirk that said _'I want to hear everything you have to say'_. I can't help but feel he's into Rebecca. Like, first they somehow talk about college stuff and now it's about planes?

Someone please give me the permission to strangle Rebecca right now.

' _This is not happening…'_ I'm chanting in my head. _'This is not freaking happening_. _'_

And…it's happening.

At this point, he wasn't even eating his salad anymore.

And there goes Rebecca's face, transforming into the color of a stop sign. "Um…yeah. My father…um…he used to collect miniature planes and take me to military exhibits. Then he passed the hobby on to me when he passed away. I guess this was my way of honoring him. We weren't very close because he was always busy but when he wasn't, he let me in on his hobby."

Mr. Freeze nodded. "And it seems that you've honored his wishes indeed."

Rebecca's nervous laugh echoed around the booth. "Um…I guess so."

"…So um…do you have any plans after our lunch?" I asked. "Because my friends and I are heading back to my place after this and I'm not sure if you'd like to hang out with us, considering the whole awkward situation of us meeting like this..."

I felt Mr. Freeze's gaze on me. "Leaving so soon? I find this encounter refreshing."

I wasn't even looking at him by the way. At this point, I refused to look at him so I did what any sane person would do. Instead, I continued to pick away at my fries. By the way, my hamburger that I've been craving for remains untouched.

"Yeah Claire, I mean it's too early to leave the mall…" Jill began, but I then I looked up and glared at her with my narrowed eyes _'Clint Eastwood'_ look. "…um, on second thought…Claire's right. I think we did enough shopping for the day... "

"Well, I'd like to check out a few more stores," Rebecca said.

I ended up glaring at her too, as if to say _'oh hell no'_ , but you know what happened?! She was staring at Mr. Freeze! Before I could say anything, Mr. Freeze nodded as he stared at her.

Rebecca has that dazed look on her face.

"I don't see the harm of that myself..." Mr. Freeze is just rubbing it in, just to cause misery on earth.

"Then it's um...settled!" Rebecca gives out another nervous laugh.

My eyes narrow.

"Thank you for the lunch daddy!" I heard his daughter chime in, finishing the last of her chicken sandwich. "It was really good!"

Mr. Freeze turned away from Rebecca and shook his head. "I believe you have Officer Redfield to thank for the meal. She was, after all the one that saved us from waiting on that line."

Lin gives me a cheeky smile. "Thank you Miss Redfield!"

I just gave her a small, half smile in return. "Um...you're...welcome."

Hallelujah for crowds!

My new partner has a thing for one of my friends, and now I can't even escape the mall because of his daughter and fact that he's daring me to do anything to embarrass myself.

The freaking smirk was definitely a clue.

Just lovely.

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

"You!"

I was just trembling at this point, seconds away from either yanking my hair out or jumping on Mr. Freeze's back to attack him with a flurry of slaps. But then again, I had flashbacks of the café again so my threat of violence was neutralized. Who knows, he may end up handcuffing me to the wheel of my car if I didn't watch my back. I wasn't scared of Mr. Freeze, but at the same time, its wise to pick your battles carefully.

After the whole restaurant fiasco, I had to pay the bill for lunch, which wasn't that bad in itself but I also had to tip the waitress as well because Mr. Freeze _'suggested'_ that since I paid the bill, I might as well tip our waitress. I just gave him a dark glare, and he just gave me another one of his innocent smirks.

The rest of this mall trip was a disaster.

Mr. Freeze and Rebecca wouldn't stop **TALKING**.

When I mean they talked, I mean they talked as if they were longtime friends!

They talked about everything from different types of miniature planes, to the wonderful world of Science. I had to keep myself from gagging, let alone groaning and smacking my forehead. Okay, I am not jealous okay? Mr. Freeze would be the last person on the planet I'd be jealous of in the first place. His ego was the size of the equator and he acted like he was the authority for everything. On top of that, he was rude towards me, leading me to believe he detested women and yet he acts normal towards my friend!

How is that even possible?!

Even Jill was impressed with him!

The whole _'jackass'_ comment flew out the window the minute these two saw him!

It was a relief that he didn't ask her out, otherwise I would have screamed.

We walked around, visited a few stores _(which included an art gallery, and a toy store, in which Mr. Freeze bought a doll his daughter really wanted)_ , and we were on our way out the parking lot to go home. Mr. Freeze had his daughter wait in the car while my friends were waiting in my car. Of course, I wanted to speak to this frozen meat head in private so we're facing each other a few rows down and away from our respective vehicles.

"You...you jerk! You freaking jerk!"

Mr. Freeze, once again decides to play innocent. "...Excuse me?"

"I don't know what you're trying to pull but my friend is not for sale okay! Stop imposing your will on her! She has a boyfriend okay? She's taken!"

And my finger was pointed towards his broad chest, poking at his turtleneck.

What does he do?

He just stares down at my finger and then at me. Okay, I will admit that his eyes were perhaps the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes I have ever seen but that's not even the freaking point! The point is that I don't trust him and Rebecca was a delicate soul!

"What outlandish nonsense are you accusing me of now?" Mr. Freeze asked. "It's getting late Officer Redfield, and I would rather not have another one of our squabbles at this time, unless you insist on losing another debate."

I pulled my finger away. "Rebecca! You're not going to fool her with your so-called charms! Stay away before I spray you down with holy water! And stop getting fancy with me! I know exactly what you're doing!" Great, there goes my dramatic arm flailing again, along with my love for too many vampire flicks.

"And what exactly am I doing?"

"Stop playing innocent with me! You don't get to flirt with her!"

Mr. Freeze was unfazed, as usual. "And why would our conversation bother you so much? I don't recall flirting with Ms. Chambers. We just happen to have some things in common. In fact, I would like to come for another signing of her books so I can receive my copy. That was what we mostly discussed. I have no romantic interest in her."

"Wait a minute, I thought you hated women?! Why in the world do you treat me like a little girl and yet you're perfectly fine with my friends?!"

"Because your tendency to dramatize everything amuses me. You, in general amuse me. Even now, you're flapping like a chicken in the middle of a parking lot. And for the record, I do not hate women."

Did he just say I was flapping like a chicken?!

"I am not flapping like a chicken!" I exclaimed, narrowing my eyes. "Me trying to protect my friend does not equate to me flapping like a chicken!"

Mr. Freeze smirked. "And what exactly did you want to call that? If I knew I would run into you in a public mall, I would have come better prepared. I'm also certain that your friend is a grown woman who can think and function for herself."

I glared at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it means Officer Redfield. I don't believe I need to spell every detail regarding my words. Now, if there's nothing else you'd like to share, I would like to take my daughter home."

I wanted to snap back with _'who the heck is crazy enough to marry you?!'_ , but I didn't for some strange reason.

Instead, I stuck with the whole Rebecca stuff. "Well you know what?! You were flirting with her! Do you realize how awkward and dejavu-ish this is?!"

"What, may I ask is dejavu-ish? That's not even a word in the dictionary."

"I made it up okay?!"

"Made it up in the space of ten minutes? I find that hard to believe."

"Stop taking things literally! I know it's not in the dictionary!"

"Your antics get stranger by the day."

"What antics? You don't find it creepy that we ran into each other in the same mall and I find out you have a daughter?! And then you're putting the hits on my friend?!"

"I see no need to hide the fact that I have a daughter and once again I wasn't putting _'hits'_ on your friend. I only found her hobbies and work interesting. If anything, I would say that you sound rather jealous."

He said the **'J'** word.

He freaking said the **'J'** word!

I think my brain just collapsed on itself.

"Me, jealous?!" I snapped. "Why the hell would I be jealous of an egotistical, stuck-up, sexy-I mean a self-righteous officer?!"

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no.

Just no.

I don't even know how that word slipped out of my mouth.

You know when you wanted to say something else but the wrong word comes out?

I became a victim instantly.

Mr. Freeze's eyebrow rose.

And I turned fifty shades of red, while my mouth hangs open wide enough to fit a Hershey's bar. **(2)**

With a squeak that would make the tiniest mouse happy, I dashed pass him and made a beeline for my car like a madwoman on a hunger strike.

Yes, that just happened.

* * *

 **Rule #11** **:** _It's never a good sign when you let the word 'sexy' fly out of your mouth, right in front of your sworn enemy._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Sorry for this chapter being so late! Just been very busy lately with work, and life in general. This chapter was a lot of fun to write so I hope you enjoy it!

The operation comes up in Chapter Fourteen and goes right into Fifteen **!** There's going to be plenty of action coming up! I would also like to note that this is still a _Claire/Wesker_. There's just a smidgen amount of _Rebecca/Wesker_ if you squint really hard. I actually find that pairing interesting and I may write a one-shot just for kicks.

 **(1)** This was actually a true article.

 **(2)** A spin off of _Fifty Shades of Gray_.


	12. Chapter 12: SYBFFTD

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twelve:** S.Y.B.F.F.T.D

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which you're on a secret mission to save your friend's soul from the unholy man known as Mr. Freeze."_

* * *

[ **Time:** 10:00 p.m]

* * *

"You have a what?!"

"I have a little coffee session after the book signing."

"...What?!"

"Um…he asked me if I'd like to have coffee with him to discuss my book and the theories presented after the book signing and I accepted his invitation."

I nearly choked over my spittle the minute Rebecca spoke. "With him?! Rebecca, have you lost it?! When was this?! Where did I go?!"

"It was when we were heading out to the parking lot. He seems really fascinated with my work…I mean I've never had anyone pay attention that closely to research and theories— "

"You stay away from him Rebecca! I forbid you to even step into a coffee shop to see him! He's bad news! Bad! Did you literally forget what I said about him and what he did to me in the space of two freaking days?! And you have a freaking boyfriend! Billy's going to flip if he finds out anything!"

"I didn't forget about what he did to you! But at the same time, he doesn't seem that bad, especially during lunch and when we were walking around! I can't believe we had those things in common! He even treats his daughter like a princess! I'm also aware of how Billy would react! He probably won't find out unless someone ends up telling him! And seriously, you _'forbid'_ me to see him?! Are you jealous or something because Jill did say you were blushing three shades of red when he was coming over to our table— "

"I am not jealous of him! Are you insane?! I'm just pointing out that this is a bad idea and he's my freaking partner! You don't even know that much about him! Heck, I barely know anything about him except that he's a geek and he likes planes too! And the whole military/presidential adviser thing! I didn't even know he was married! And I was not blushing okay? Don't be like Jill and start imagining things!"

"So, what's your point? I don't think he's that bad and it's not like I'm dating him! Relax! I wouldn't dream of cheating on Billy! It's just a friendly chat! And okay, you weren't blushing! But you're freaking out over nothing!"

A friendly chat.

She called it a friendly chat.

Oh sure, have coffee with that egotistical woman magnet!

On top of that, did she just say that he's not that bad?! Okay, what did he do to Rebecca?!

"This isn't _nothing_ Rebecca!"

"What do you mean? Claire, it's not a big deal!"

"Oh sure, it's not a big deal? You were giggling when he said something to you! You were like a freaking school girl!"

"No I wasn't! He just said something funny in French that made me laugh because I understood it! He told me that he studied French in college when I told him that I studied it too! That's all it was!"

My face is beyond horrified now.

I have got to squash this before all hell breaks loose. I mean it's bad enough that even Jill was checking him out the whole time and this is the same woman who swore off all men, but now Rebecca is all lovey-dovey!

I took a long swallow of my coffee that started to grow cold the minute I dragged Rebecca to the kitchen for a critical _'girl talk'_. My brother was home by the time we reached my house, passed out on the couch face first. Jill decided to just call it a night and asked me to drop her off at her apartment. Remember when I said that she considered my brother an asshole and didn't even want to see him?

" _If that oaf you call a brother is home, then I'm not coming in! I don't want to see him because if I do, bad things may happen!"_

That was her exact words before she muttered several more curses under her breath.

Well, I honored her request and dropped her off.

Chris is still snoring away on the couch by the way.

The fact that he wouldn't even know if someone broke into the house and stole everything amazes me at this point.

But the situation with Rebecca and Mr. Freeze came first before I whacked my brother upside his big head.

I was determined to get every piece of information out of Rebecca regarding the tall block of ice known as Mr. Freeze, with or without Jill's seal of approval.

Yes, I was about to prevent her from making a huge mistake. As much as Billy loved Rebecca, the last thing I wanted was a showdown between him and Mr. Freeze, let alone seeing her in tears. Even if this was a _'friendly chat'_ regarding her book, things have a way of happening and there is no way in hell I wanted to see Mr. Freeze's frozen lips on my best friend.

That's when **S.Y.B.F.F.T.D** comes in.

You may wonder what this is, but it's just a plan I came up with just to save Rebecca. This was known as **_'Saving Your Best Friend From The Devil'_**. It's reserved for emergencies, you know, in case your friend ends up falling for your new partner when she should be freaking defending you in the first place. Don't worry, I made that up in the space of the minutes I heard Rebecca mention coffee and psychotic new partner in the same sentence.

"That's not a friendly chat!" I retorted. "You saw the way he was staring at you! That…that smirk isn't there just for show! He was checking you out!"

"You know, come to think of it, his eyes are gorgeous but that's beside the point! What do you mean the way he was staring at me?! He was interested in my book! He wasn't checking me out!"

"Are you that blind?! Did you or did you not see that smirk plastered on his face?"

"I didn't see anything out of the ordinary Claire!"

I was seconds from repeatedly smacking my head against the table. Please tell me that my friend, who has a boyfriend did not see that look on Mr. Freeze's face when she mentioned her interest in planes, not to mention that Sciencey-Talk-Fest they had going on at the table and around the mall.

Okay, let me reiterate once again that I am in no way, shape or form jealous okay? Mr. Freeze can go play in traffic for all I care!

I just stared at her. "You have got to be kidding me! How is it that I'm the only one that sees anything this man does as malicious?!"

"Well maybe because you're the one still freaking out? I mean, I'm not going to deny that he probably made your life a living hell the minute you found out he was your partner but he was nice in the mall! By the way, what were you guys yapping about before we left?"

I swallowed hard. One, I am not telling Rebecca that I called the enemy sexy, due to an accidental word flying out and two, I am not letting her know that I told Mr. Freeze that she had a boyfriend.

No one needs to know about my slip up.

 **NO ONE.**

"I um…told him that my friends appreciated his company." I lied. "And um…I'll see him on Monday…"

"See him on Monday...?" Rebecca's eyebrow rose. "I can't imagine you saying that, considering that you practically hate the guy—"

"Well I did!" I said, cutting her off before she could add anything else. "My point still stands! He's the devil and you should stay far, far away!"

"I can't take back the whole signing of the book thing and the café! I already said yes! I told you already that it's not a date!"

"I'll tell him that you changed your mind and you have something else to do!"

"No, you're not! You're being way too dramatic about this!"

"Yes, I am! And I'm not being dramatic! I just don't want you to…you know… fall for my partner! Do you even know how awkward this is?!"

"What do you mean fall for him?! I mean, yeah he's really attractive but— "

"You said hot in the restaurant! You were the first one to completely blow our cover when I specifically said to keep your menus up! And then Jill had to get up and make things even worse! And then you…you were flirting with him!"

"No, I wasn't!"

"Yes, you were!"

"No, I wasn't!"

"Yes, you were!"

"No, I wasn't!"

"Yes, you were!"

"Ugh…"

Our fiery argument was interrupted by a moan that sounded like the cross between a half dead chicken and a zombie.

Oh, look who decided to get up and join the living? Yes, it was my brother Chris, as he shuffled into the kitchen at a slow pace. He ended up burping, causing us to turn away from the table and stare at him. "…Wha…ugh…Claire…?"

Before I could say anything, Rebecca spoke. "We just got back from the mall. We ran into Claire's new partner and he was interested in my work so he invited me for coffee to discuss my new book after the signing— "

"And I told her she's insane!" I snapped, staring at Rebecca. "Chris, you know what I said about that frozen terminator yesterday and the day before! In the space of two days, he embarrassed me in front of my chief, handcuffed me to a table in a café and forced me to go to his apartment to discuss a case that should have been discussed over the phone! Oh, and he blocked my driveway and forced me to drive in his car! Tell her she's insane Chris!"

I should have known better than to talk to Chris, especially when he looks as if he was run over by a truck and kicked in the stomach.

He has that sick look on his face, you know, the kind where you're about to throw up? That reminds me, I forgot that he and his buddies from work had a little football party while we went to the mall. This was Superbowl month so expect to see your drunk boyfriends, brothers, husbands, and girlfriends lying face first on the floor or strung over the couch like my brother was.

Gee, that would explain the beer bottles lined up on the glass table like dominoes, not to mention the empty pizza boxes. I guess I was too busy dragging Rebecca to the kitchen to even notice that stuff at the corner of my eye.

Now I'm starting to regret ignoring that mess in the first place. Yeah, Rebecca was a priority but when your brother has gone full stupid mode, you couldn't ignore that either.

"...Chris?"

"He…doesn't look so good." Rebecca noted.

I found myself burning with the power of a time bomb, as I responded through gritted teeth. "Chris…?"

My brother doesn't respond.

"Chris…don't you dare…! "

I'm already leaping to my feet to prevent him from doing what I thought he was about to do the minute he grabs his mouth. I rushed over to him as soon as he makes a beeline for the sink because he can't hold the bile that's about to go flying all over my clean kitchen. So, when a sister who's in panic mode over a ruined, foul smelling kitchen collides with a brother who **a.** probably had too much to drink or eat, and **b.** is about to throw up in the sink, you're bound to have the worst tackle since the NFL playoffs.

And that's what happened.

Instead of throwing up in the kitchen sink, my brother ends up throwing up on me.

Not only did I run into my sworn nemesis since day one, my best friend is ensnared in his plot to seduce her, and my brother throws up on my new shirt I just bought three weeks ago while I was enjoying a day off.

This is a _**fun**_ Saturday.

If you didn't even detect the sarcasm in my words there, then you are an idiot.

* * *

 **Rule #12** **:** _Your friend just signed an unforeseeable contract with the devil. Don't ever allow a friend to do that._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

Very, very sorry for the long wait. I was very busy and I was dealing with a very high level of anxiety, which affected my ability to function, let alone update anything. I am doing a bit better but I am still struggling with it. I have yet to update _Resident Evil: Endgame_ , but those updates will come soon. This chapter isn't super long, but longer chapters are definitely coming, considering that we have undercover work coming up. I should also mention that this story also has action so it's not all lovey-dovey stuff.

I haven't decided how many chapters this story will be but it will most likely be about forty. There might be a sequel, depending on how well this story is received but I haven't decided yet.


	13. Chapter 13:That Horrific Nightmare!

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Thirteen:** That Horrific Nightmare!

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which you dream about your friend getting married to your psycho partner and that same partner picks out revealing undercover clothes."_

* * *

[ **Wednesday** ]

* * *

I shouldn't have jinxed myself.

Remember when I said that fortunately, I didn't have a nightmare that involving Mr. Freeze? It was a _'knock on wood'_ gesture, you know, when you count your lucky stars that your new, stone faced partner wasn't the boogeyman in your closet.

Well, my luck just ran out.

And that's why I'm on the floor, clutching my chest and breathing like a crazed lunatic. Seriously, if I didn't stop Rebecca from meeting Mr. Freeze in that freaking café, my life will be ruined forever.

Trying to convince her was like convincing my brother that he was an idiot for drinking so many beers, especially when he had work the next day. It took me hours to **a.** take a shower, and **b.** soak my shirt in a boatload of detergent to get rid of vomit stains and the stench. He wasn't even in the right state of mind. I was forced, along with Rebecca to get him upstairs. Last Sunday, he spent most of his time in bed, groaning and mumbling something about taking a dare. By Monday morning, he had to call the office to let them know he was sick.

Trust me, the minute anyone hears the word _'sick'_ , even at the L.A.P.D, you're quarantined until you're cured.

As usual, my brother takes up a stupid dare and ends up on the receiving end of it. I'm sure his friends were like _'Meh, I bet you can't chug ten bottles of beer in twenty minutes!'_ and Chris was like _'Duh, yes I can!'_.Then, like the buffoon that he is most of the time, he chugs down the beer, passes out, only to wake up and throw up on me in the middle of the freaking kitchen.

I wanted to kill him on the spot.

I wanted to kill him, revive him, and then kill him again.

So today was going to be yet another terrible morning, where Mr. Freeze picks me up and I get to listen to more _'exciting'_ German/Polish/French news. At this point, I just gave up. The buses were awful and the last thing I needed was Chief Randall yelling at me. The only time I was successful in escaping the dark clutches of Mr. Freeze's car was at night and I made it a mission to get out of that office as soon as possible. For the past few nights, the buses were merciful.

Maybe the unnamed deity I've been praying to for the past few days took pity on me.

Mr. Freeze didn't say much about it by the way. He only said that he found it ' _amusing'_ that I was rushing out of the office early just to escape him.

I gave him a dirty look, and he just gave me one of those affectionate grins, you know, the one that screams masochist alert.

Nothing major happened on Monday or Tuesday. It was paperwork as usual and fortunately, no one bugged me about my new partner, except for Lydia and Vanessa. They did pass by us when we came in and giggled like obsessed schoolgirls. Of course, Mr. Freeze didn't notice or just didn't care, while I glared, causing them to stop.

Well, at least the silly _'high school'_ rumors weren't flying around.

 _'Ooooh, she has a crush on him!'_

 _'Oooh, she's so luckkky!'_

At least he didn't pester me over that word mishap on Saturday.

Okay Claire, maybe you shouldn't jinx anything else.

But this nightmare was a daily reminder of the terror that was Mr. Freeze.

It consisted of somehow being the only one who wasn't at Rebecca's alleged _'wedding_ '. Just think for a moment who she was getting married to.

Just take a wild guess.

Anyway, for some strange reason, I was in a random taxi, in my sugar waffle pajamas, yelling at the driver to hurry up and make it to Cortland Street. I can't even remember if there's a church there in reality but either way, I had to get there to prevent the apocalypse from occurring. I was driving around with this guy who barely knew English and he kept missing the turn for Cortland Street.

It must have taken him an hour or two to reach the church. Of course, I didn't really know because I was freaking out so much.

When we did get there, I jumped out and ran up the stairs like a madwoman. I didn't even hear the string of curses in Chinese, as I rushed for the huge double doors and pushed my way through. I understood a bit of the language so I knew what he said wasn't pleasant since I rushed out and bailed on his taxi without paying the fare.

It was then that I realized it was too late.

The pastor was already declaring Mr. Freeze and Rebecca as husband and wife. Then the most horrific thing happened. He leans forward and kisses her. Of course, he was wearing a tuxedo and she was wearing a white wedding dress, complete with the veil. The entire church was decorated, with most of my family and friends being there, including my parents and Chris. It was one of those deliberate kisses where you just savored the moment.

And that's when I ended up screaming.

 _"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

Now you see why I was on the floor in the first place. The minute I snapped out of the nightmare was the minute I rolled out of the bed after tossing and turning for what seemed to be an eternity.

Yeah, I'm sure it was hearing the pastor announce Mr. and Mrs. Wesker. It's funny how dreams like that feel very, very real. Can you imagine the horror of that happening?!

"Gaaaagh!"

My cell phone suddenly rings, causing me to jump. At this point, I don't even have to guess who it was calling me this early in the morning, around the time where I'm supposed to be up, getting ready for work.

Should I even answer this stupid phone?

I found myself crawling over to the window. True enough, I could see a familiar black car blocking my driveway again, along with the slick blond head of Mr. Freeze through the blinds. This time, he was wearing a crimson tie with the dark secret agent suit.

And then that blasted nightmare comes into play.

I'm seconds away from screaming again.

Turning away from the window, I glared at the phone on my desk that's charging away.

And glared.

And glared some more.

It wasn't going to stop ringing anytime soon.

Damnit.

I grabbed the phone on the seventh ring and snapped. "How many times are you going to call my freaking number?! I'm awake!"

Lo and behold, it was Mr. Freeze.

What a freaking surprise! Let's celebrate will balloons, cake and icecream!

" _Well good morning to you as well Officer Redfield. Endearing as usual, I see."_

That freaking sarcasm! I am not in the mood for sarcasm!

"Yeah, real cute! How long do you think you'll be able to make those remarks before I ram them down your throat?"

As usual, my words are ineffective. _"Is that another threat I hear? Do I need to remind you of what happened in the café last week? I'm sure you don't want another round of embarrassment."_

Oh, he's just rubbing in that whole café incident just to piss me off even more. My teeth are grinding away like coffee beans. "You son of a bi— "

" _You have such colorful language for an officer. Should Chief Randall know about this?"_

 _"_ Know about what? What, you can't handle a little language?"

 _"I can handle your language just fine, but it's inappropriate in a professional setting."_

"You are such a freaking ass— "

" _Ah, and that colorful language appears again. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? It's a beautiful morning as well too…"_

"Oh, don't you even dare—! "

" _Dare? What exactly am I daring to do?"_

"Stop interrupting me!"

I wish there was a way to burn a hole through his stupid skull on phone. I really, really wish that was a real thing.

" _Such anger Officer Redfield. You should calm down, lest that same anger jeopardizes our assignment tonight. For the record, I have received special permission from Chief Randall to buy suitable attire. I assume you'll be ready soon?"_

Suitable attire?!

Special permission?!

What in the world did Mr. Freeze do to get Chief Randall in his pocket?!

Since when did anyone receive special permission for clothing?! Usually, the clothes for undercover assignments were picked already. I don't think I even want to know what Mr. Freeze had in mind.

"Who the hell are you to get special permission?!" I demanded. "The mall isn't even open around this time! And the department provides the clothing— "

"… _of which I don't approve of. And I didn't mention the mall."_

"Then where are we going? If you think I'm spending an insufferable day with you— "

" _I never implied it was the entire day, Officer Redfield."_

"I don't even want it to be half a day! I'm speaking with Chief Randall about this!"

" _And what will that accomplish?"_

As much as Mr. Freeze pissed me off, he had a point. What could I say to Chief Randall now? This was a new week and cooperating in this operation was key, even if your new partner was a douchebag from hell. If I didn't show the chief that I wasn't immature and could handle this situation with Sanchez, he would end up giving Mr. Freeze all the credit. Then my badge will probably be hanging in limbo.

That did remind me of what he said to me in his office when I came in to deliver some paperwork.

" _I don't expect you to fall in love with the freaking guy Redfield. I want you two to work together. Sanchez is dangerous and must be a priority. Don't let your feelings for Officer Wesker get in the way of the operation. I'm warning you, but also…I'm relying on you as well. Don't screw up_ _ **."**_

"…Nothing…" I muttered under my breath. "…absolutely nothing."

Mr. Freeze didn't hesitate to even rub that part in because he heard my muttering well enough. **"** _Good. I would say this is your first step in earning my respect— "_

I hung up on him.

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

"I am not wearing that!"

"Why do you dramatize everything?"

"I'm not being dramatic!"

"Then what do you call your sudden outburst?"

"That skirt is too short! Who died and made you an expert on women clothing?!"

"When did I claim I was an expert?"

"Give me the skirt! This is embarrassing!"

"Why is this embarrassing?"

"Stop doing that!"

"Doing what?"

"That! You know damn well that skirt's too short!"

"Maintaining cover is essential to this operation Officer Redfield. You must have either forgotten your training in the academy or ignorance must be a trend."

I'm seconds away from screaming for the billionth time ever since I was forced to deal with this freaking jackass. Okay, so maybe I was running out of insults, but what in the world do you say to a man that yaps constantly about your training in the academy?

I mean, there are no words for what was even going on now. He's standing there, holding a leather skirt that he randomly yanked from a clearance sale rack.

I can't believe Chief Randall arranged this. I could only assume this was for more _'bonding time'_ , since things were unusually slow for the past few days. There were no purse thieves to chase, no attempted robberies at a bank, no one trying to commit suicide from a skyscraper or even a domestic problem.

I can't believe that I got into Mr. Freeze's car again.

I can't believe that I'm going undercover with him in a nightclub tonight that's going to be filled to the brim with sluts and sleazy frat boys, dressed in a skirt that's almost as short as my brother's neon green speedos. By the way, Jill burned them in the fire too when they divorced so they're not coming back any time soon.

But that was beside the point.

Here I was, staring in horror, as Mr. Freeze held up the leather that was supposed to be a miniskirt. The top was just as bad – a revealing white tank top that showed my belly button and just as tight. I was holding the top, while he inspected the skirt and implied that I was being _'immature'_ as usual.

Mr. Freeze, in all his infinite _'wisdom'_ decided to take us to a shop in downtown Los Angeles that was open early because of a clearance sale. It was known as the _'Ladies Korner'_ , and it was the last place I would ever go for things, mainly because one, the owner was a female, which meant that she nearly passed out from a nosebleed the minute Mr. Freeze and I walked in, and two, there were enough clothes in there that screamed _'whore material'_. I mean yeah, the whole point of this operation was to go in dressed as the girlfriend of a low-ranking drug lord but to wear a skirt that short?!

It was a medium sized store, with bright neon and pink stickers that stated _'30% off'_ or _'45% off'_. I guess this woman wasn't doing very well, considering that she looked like some bimbo from some reality show, complete with long black hair, French manicure nails that were a bit too long, and bright red lipstick. On top of that, she was wearing a baby blue shirt, and black pants that were a bit tight.

The fashion police should have shown up by now.

I really, really need to pick something out that's tolerable before I lose whatever of my sanity that's left.

It didn't take long for us to reach the store. As usual, I was graced with foreign news, and a bit of English news. Did Mr. Freeze ever listen to music?! I mean, who the heck rides in their car and listens to depressing news all day? Yeah, occasionally you'll hear about some folks in Romania getting married or some French couple having a baby but other than that, it wasn't anything to write home about.

Also, I managed to study his face while he drove. Stiff as a stone, with no emotion whatsoever, except to give me those polar smirks or a raised eyebrow. But that was before the signal light turned red and he turned to stare at me because he must have sensed that I was staring at him. Then, I looked away because the last thing I needed was two black orbs staring back at me and by orbs, I meant his tinted sunglasses.

They stare into your soul to the point it jumps out of your body and runs away, never to be seen again.

I'm sure that's what happened the minute we encountered each other in that restaurant on Saturday. My soul ran out of my body, then the soul of my soul ran out as well. Okay, maybe I've watched too many paranormal shows for my own good, but when your new partner shows up in the middle of a freaking restaurant with a little girl that turns out to be his daughter, and then your freaking friend ends up going gaga over him, your soul is bound to die multiple times.

For the record, Rebecca still insists on meeting Mr. Freeze next week _(Thursday is her book signing day)_ in that café, and I haven't told him that Rebecca changed her mind because I'm still trying to formulate a plan to get her out of this mess.

That nightmare is still fresh in my memory and it still creeps me out….and wait a freaking minute, did he just insult me again?!

"What is with you and my academy training?!" I hissed, attempting to snatch the skirt from his grasp. "Just because I don't want to wear a skirt that short to expose my butt, doesn't mean that I don't know a single thing about operations and going undercover! I can still dress the part without wearing that! I think I'm capable of picking things out myself!"

"Are you?" Mr. Freeze questions, lifting the skirt up so I couldn't reach it. "Somehow, I doubt that."

"Stop trying to cause a scene in the middle of store!"

"How am I causing a scene?"

"By waving around a freaking skirt in the middle of the store! Do you even know how awkward it is for a man to pick out women's clothing?!" And here I am, trying to reach the skirt again on my tiptoes while he dangles the damn thing above me like a carrot.

"It's an operation Officer Redfield, not a fashion show. I also don't recall causing a scene. You seem to be doing a rather good job of causing everything on your own. I don't see why the outfit needs to be specific, if it fits the occasion. "

"You are so full of sh—"

"Your language knows no bounds, does it?"

"Give me the skirt! You don't even know my size!"

"Then you should try it on and see how it fits instead of attempting another fruitless argument."

"I'm not trying it on because it's not my size!"

"How can you tell it's not? You didn't try it on."

"Everything you say makes me want to strangle you! I'm not trying that on!"

"You can try to strangle me, but you will fail, as usual. Either try the skirt on or I get to have a fascinating conversation with Chief Randall, all of which I doubt you'll like very much."

"You are a freaking j—"

"You continue to warm my heart."

"That wasn't meant to warm your heart!"

"And yet it did. Now, if you're done with your harmless insults, time is ticking away."

I gave him a dirty look, and Mr. Freeze gave me one of his impassive grins.

Minutes passed between us.

Again, Chief Randall's words hung over my head like a death sentence.

" _I'm warning you, but also…I'm relying on you as well. Don't screw up_ _ **."**_

"…Fine! Just give me the stupid skirt! I'll try it on!"

I managed to snatch the skirt away from him the second he lowers his arm and stomped away towards the fitting room.

" _Yeah, I bet you want to see me in that freaking skirt you crazy perv_ …" I muttered under my breath, fuming to the point my face feels like hot pokers.

Some battles aren't worth fighting, not when it comes to Mr. Freeze and a chief that's depending on you not to screw up.

* * *

 **Rule #13:** _You're not going to win against a man who believes his word is law._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Very sorry that this chapter took so long but I've been busy lately. I had a lot of fun writing it, mainly because it leads to what's coming up next. The next chapter and _Chapter Fifteen_ gets much longer so stay tuned! I have a lot of things planned for this story!


	14. Chapter 14: Big Trouble in De Cosa

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Fourteen** : Big Trouble in De Cosa

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which Mr. Freeze and I were set up and I let a secret fly out of my mouth. Wait, Mr. Freeze has a secret?!"_

* * *

[ **Wednesday Night** ]

* * *

[ **Time:** 9:00 p.m]

* * *

Revenge came in small packages.

That's why it was so important to savor those moments.

One small leap for a lowly detective, one giant leap for women everywhere.

Well, okay, maybe I shouldn't say that, considering that I'm probably not the only one that has to deal with some jerk with the IQ of Albert Einstein and some other famous smart guy, but at least I'm standing up for women in general, right?

For the first time in the space of time I've known Mr. Freeze, l was finally able to throw him off his little _'nothing you say affects me'_ streak. Okay, it didn't last too long and my victory was short lived, but it was good to know that when the right buttons were carefully pushed, things can get a little better.

Just a little.

Remember that tank top/skirt incident? You know, the ones he _'oh so generously'_ decided to pick out? Well, I tried it on and surprisingly it was around my size. Which was...just as creepy as him showing up in front of my freaking house, but I decided to have some fun with this the minute I stepped out of the dressing room.

The fact that I caught him at a bad moment shows that maybe somewhere deep down inside, he was _'human'_ after all.

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

" _You wanted to see me in this outfit, didn't you?"_

 _I must have caught Mr. Freeze off guard because the phone he was busy checking (and he was checking it a lot on our way to the vintage shop) nearly slipped out of his hand. I could have taken a picture of this 'hallmark' moment, but a grin threatened to split my face in half. Sure enough, I was wearing that leather miniskirt and white tank-top as I stood right in front of him, arms folded and tapping my foot._

 _The tinted glasses moved away from the phone and focused on me. "…What?"_

 _Trust me, with all the hell this jerk put me through, there was nothing wrong with a little payback._

" _Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about."_

" _How can I pretend I don't know what you're talking about when I truly don't know what you're referring to?"_

 _I decided to play innocent. "I mean, you didn't just pick this outfit just for the assignment. Were you also checking my size out in my file too? I'm betting that you're just an old perv and you wanted to see my little curves."_

" _I'm not sure if I'm following your ridiculous line of reasoning— "_

" _Oh, cut the crap! 'Meh, I dun' understand your line of reasoning!' You knew about my neighbor and where I lived. I wouldn't be surprised if you knew my size too!"_

" _I wanted you to try it on to see if its suitable for the operation. It had nothing to do with your size. Am I also supposed to be insulted by your 'old perv' comment?"_

" _Oh really?" This time my eyebrow rose. "You know, it's funny how this managed to fit me so perfectly, don't you think? And you know what? The fact that you didn't even deny my 'old perv' comment makes things even better."_

" _I've read your file, not your measurements, Officer Redfield."_

" _You can't fool me. You seem to know everything about me!"_

 _He stared at me like I was a foreigner from another planet. "How did you draw a conclusion from asking you to try on an outfit to me knowing your size? Don't be foolish. I have no uses for knowing your size, unless, of course you want to share that information with me as well."_

… _And that's when my fun ended._

 _Damn it._

 _Any guy would have kept their mouth shut, but not Mr. Freeze. He recovered to the point my responses were harmless._

 _How?!_

 _How does he keep doing this?!_

 _I caught him off guard! How did he recover so quickly?!_

"… _W…What the hell are you trying to imply?" I demanded, my eyes wide as saucers the minute he said that. "That's not funny!"_

 _Mr. Freeze put his phone away and folded his arms as well. "Well, you certainly didn't hold back when we spoke in the parking lot on Saturday, did you? I really admire your gesture."_

" _Hold back what? I don't even know what you're talking about— "_

 _He cuts me off with a slow, deliberate grin that screamed 'troublemaker alert'. "Come now, don't tell me that you've forgotten your slipup so quickly."_

" _What slip-up?!"_

" _Do you always have a habit of calling your partners sexy?"_

 _That was when I knew what he was talking about._

 _This is the second time I've jinxed myself._

 _Remember what I said about Mr. Freeze not mentioning that accidental word on Saturday when I chewed him out for attempting to hit on Rebecca? Well, he decided to use that as ammunition against me. And I said this morning that I wouldn't jinx myself, since he didn't mention anything._

 _I'm...beginning to hate my life._

" _...That was an accident!" Now my face feels like the reddest tomato on the planet. "It doesn't change anything else I've said about you! It's not like I didn't stop myself from saying that!"_

" _It doesn't? My, my what a shocking revelation." You'll love that oozing sarcasm in each word. "That was a very unusual slip of the tongue, don't you think? I enjoyed the way you ran off, back to your vehicle with a face that was comparable to a cherry."_

 _I unfolded my arms and gave him a death glare as my hands curled into fists. "I'll show you a shocking revelation you son of a...! "_

 _Of course, my glare is ineffective, as usual. "Careful now, we wouldn't want another slip of the tongue."_

" _You are so full of it!"_

" _Here you are, arguing yet again in the middle of a vintage store. You have a knack for embarrassing yourself, it seems."_

" _No, you just like to annoy the crap out of me!"_

" _You make it easy to annoy you Officer Redfield, that's why."_

" _No, you're just being a pain in the ass all by yourself!"_

" _I think you're enjoying my 'pain in the ass' moments." That deliberate smirk was still plastered on his face._

 _Before I could retaliate, a voice interrupts us from across the store. "Um…are you guys like married or something? Because uh…you guys totally sound like my parents."_

 _And that's when Mr. Freeze and I found ourselves staring at a store assistant who said that. He looked like one of those modern day gothic dudes, complete with long, scrawny brown hair, dark eyes, and wore a white heavy metal shirt and jeans. He was wearing a black leather band on his left wrist with spikes and sneakers. I don't even know how long he was standing there, but he was seconds away from laughing his ass off._

 _Mr. Freeze…well the grin disappeared immediately, only to be replaced with a monotonous frown. "No, but if that was the case, she would make a very annoying, yet interesting wife."_

 _Gritting my teeth, I moved in to step on his foot as hard as I could, but he moves away, causing my Mary Jane shoe to hit empty air._

* * *

 **[** Present **]**

* * *

Why am I mentioning this?

Well, for one, my life is ruined, thanks to this tall pile of trouble, and for another, we're in the middle of a standoff, where at least twenty triad gang members are armed with batons, ready to draw blood in the middle of the room.

I should also note that if we don't make it out of this mess in one piece, I'm paying a visit to the unknown deity I've been praying to since Mr. Freeze arrived just to scream and pull my hair out. Of course, I'll be asking the usual questions, such as _'Where the hell were you?!'_ and _'Why did you even create this man?!'_.

And then I'll look stupid in the afterlife.

This, ladies and gentlemen is what we call an operation gone wrong.

You may wonder what got us in this predicament in the first place. Well, remember when I said officers can be tempted when it comes to both sides of the law? It turns out that our F.B.I spy became a double agent in the space of time he was _'working'_ for Sanchez. Mr. Freeze either had a third sense or he was just lucky to assume something wasn't right because he warned me to keep my eyes and ears open. He didn't seem convinced that we were just at the nightclub to gather Intel, and was anticipating something to go wrong. And since we were supposed to be in character, I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

I'm not freaking stupid you know.

It's not like I couldn't draw that conclusion myself!

We entered the nightclub, bypassing the regular party animals that usually went here. There was a code word you had to use before you were led upstairs to the private bar room. Mr. Freeze was dressed in black _(not surprisingly)_ , complete with the glasses and slicked blond hair. The muscle shirt and slacks outlined his body to the point I was sure even the bouncer had a nosebleed. He was one of those big guys, bald, wore some black t-shirt and slacks, and had beady little dark eyes. The shirt looked too small for him, as a beer belly threatened to explode from it. He smelled of cheap cologne and cigars, which made me nauseous but I managed to hold my bile down.

I acted as obnoxious as I could stand myself acting, chewing Spearmint gum and toying with my hair. Of course, Mr. Freeze had his arm wrapped around my waist, which freaked me out but this was undercover work and I had to play the part, no matter how much I hated his guts or where his hands were for the record. I was surprised that his hand felt warm, actually. I expected frozen fingertips that would have given me instant hypothermia during the operation.

...Yes, that was pretty weird.

I was known as _Tina Santiago_ , while Mr. Freeze went by the name _Carlos Rodriquez_. I was blown away by the amount of Spanish he knew _(the bouncer was Hispanic)_. The bouncer did give us trouble, claiming that he had never seen us around here before. Mr. Freeze responded in perfect Spanish that Mr. Sanchez was expecting us and if he contacted his boss, he would know everything he needed to know.

After what seemed like an eternity, Mr. Freeze and I were led to our destination. Men in dark suits were standing around the room, including a group of mixed Asian guys, which I could only assume were with the Asian drug lord sitting next to some French guy. There were at least twelve men sitting at the mahogany table, smoking their cigars, drinking liquor, or snorting cocaine. Some of them had their girlfriends with them, all of which were just as sleazy as I imagined.

The _De Cosa_ nightclub was like any other club, with bright neon lights and a D.J going crazy with the meringue music. **(1)** The bottom floor had your typical eighteen and older party guys and gals,getting drunk, and dancing around like idiots. The place was cited for several violations, but knowing Sanchez, he was the type that wormed his way out of every possible sign of trouble. The guy had his connections, could afford the best lawyers, and acted like a fashionista.

Then again, what else did you expect from a drug lord?

I didn't know much about Sanchez, other than what I learned from Mr. Freeze during our _'get together'_ at his apartment and what Chief Randall told us. He wasn't stupid and had possible connections to dangerous triad gangs. Busting this shipment was going to take more than spy work and dressing up like a low-ranking drug lord and the bimbo girlfriend.

Sanchez wasn't in the room, in fact he was on a flat screen television set that was placed right at the head of the table. I could only imagine that Sanchez had this planned because of all the goodies he received from _Emilio Ramon_.

If you were a wanted drug lord and two officers were posers in your meeting, you'd keep your distance too.

Boy, are the F.B.I guys going to have a _'fun'_ time with this. I could only imagine the security breaches and shouting that would come from this once this operation was over.

So, the screen comes on, and Sanchez's ugly mug is shown. With short, sand colored hair, hazelnut eyes, and the masculine features of a scrawny bullfrog, he was a definite weasel. He was dressed in a suit that was the same color as his hair, smoking a cigar while he sits cross legged in a red leather chair. He starts off with how good it is for them to gather like this, however their meeting will have to be rescheduled, due to some _'rats'_ in the room he was informed of.

Yep, you guessed it, we were set up.

Just great.

So much for that careful planning Mr. Freeze was prepping for.

I muttered a curse under my breath the minute he said that, while Mr. Freeze stiffened in his seat.

So now, we're dealing with Sanchez, who never intended to show his face in the first place, an agent gone rogue, and twenty bloodthirsty guys who didn't care whether they ruined their suits with blood or not. And to top it off, our backup is taking their sweet time getting to the nightclub.

I felt like I was in the middle of a scene in _Kill Bill_.

"So, what now, _'oh fearless leader'_?" I asked, glancing at Mr. Freeze. "Any bright ideas…?"

"We fight our way out." It's amazing how he ignores my quips. "Unless you're afraid of a little challenge."

True enough, most these guys were blocking the staircase leading downstairs. We were dealing with tall guys, short guys, heavy looking guys, and skinny guys. The drug lords were already gone with their bimbo girlfriends, escaping long enough for their men to _'take care of us'_.

As much as I wasn't a fan of battling thugs in a miniskirt and a tank top, I sure as heck wasn't afraid to knock some heads together.

"…Very funny. You know, I completely forgot to laugh at that. If we don't survive this, I don't want to see your stupid face in the afterlife."

"I don't intend to go down tonight and I'm sure you don't as well. Show me your expertise from the academy. Don't disappoint me Officer Redfield."

It didn't take long before the first wave of guys came barreling towards us. Mr. Freeze didn't say anything else and I didn't even get a chance to retaliate. He practically moved like the freaking wind, kicking two guys who chose the wrong time to charge at him in the chest. A mental wince shot through me as they flew backwards, landing on the floor but I didn't have a chance to stare before I was dealing with my own set of thugs. I punched one, and kicked the other in the gut after sidestepping the wild blows from the batons aimed for my head.

Trust me, these guys did everything, except discriminate.

The way Mr. Freeze moved, it was like a combination of Steven Seagal and Jason Statham rolled into one. He had no problems shattering bones, beating guys with their own weapons and slamming heads on the table, and against the bar. I would have been in complete awe, had it not been for the disdain I had for this man. Somehow, this became an unnamed competition for us as we continued to mow down thug after thug.

Um…isn't it also a bit disturbing that Mr. Freeze was enjoying this a bit too much?

I mean, blood was flying from noses, heads, and the cries coming from these guys was insane. Sure I was making some guys bleed and putting my high school gymnastics into good use but it was creepy how calm he was about the whole thing, like he had been in this kind of situation before. But then again, maybe he had been, considering that he was supposed to be this big honcho guy hailing from the C.I.A.

I should also note that he was a martial arts guru. Hence the judo throw he literally used on me when we were in the cafe.

Soon, we were making our way towards the stairs, leaving guys rolling on the floor in pain. We were fighting our way through the dark stairwell, punching and kicking until two guys flew out onto the dance floor, causing a woman to scream, gripping the guy that was supposedly her boyfriend. That pretty much caused a chain reaction and chaos erupted on the dance floor, with the D.J hitting the road, and people shouting and rushing for exits.

We must have taken out ten guys already, leaving us with the rest to deal with. They spilled out from the staircase, hopping over the guys we just took out already.

So we're in the middle of the floor, surrounded and outnumbered, just as before with some remixed version of _'I Got the Power'_ in the background.

I think I'm going to need extra strong coffee tomorrow morning…if I make it out alive, that is.

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

I guess my trip to the afterlife would have to wait.

I was seconds away from punching my last thug to oblivion when backup arrived. Cue the screaming partygoers rushing out the doors and onto the street while the S.W.A T team moved in, dressed in black from the helmet down.

"L.A.P.D! Get down on the ground!"

They rushed in with guns blazing, reaching the last thug and forcing him to the ground. He wasn't very compliant, shouting a strong of curses as handcuffs were slapped on him. I mean, I still can't believe I took our several thugs by Mr. Freeze's side.

Exhausted, I found myself stumbling backwards until I backed into his chest.

"Gah!" I jumped, spinning around like a top. I would have fell on my ass, had it not been for his quick grip on my wrist.

"Not bad..." He commented, letting go of me. I guess even he was exhausted because I didn't see any sign of a creepy smirk or his sarcastic gestures.

Was Mr. Freeze being sincere?!

Did hell just freeze over?!

Was I seeing things?

Did I need glasses?

"...you're not as useless as I initially thought."

And that's when the sincerity ended.

Despite my exhaustion, I just gawked at him. "…You thought I was useless?!"

The words just rolled off his tongue naturally. "Perhaps useless wasn't the word I was going for, but I was surprised by how well you handled yourself."

"Yeah, well I'm not a pushover and Kennedy was my former partner." I retorted. "I've been through much worse."

"Yes, Agent Leon Kennedy. I'm familiar with his work." There was a certain edge of bitterness in his tone but I didn't really pick up on it.

Instead, I just smirked at his response. "Gee, what else do you know? I'd say you did more than dig around my file."

Yep, I just pulled off a sarcastic reply.

Go me.

Mr. Freeze just stared at me. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it means Officer Freezer." I mocked, throwing those same words he used against me.

Before Mr. Freeze could reply, we were interrupted by Chief Randall making his way towards us. Every indication pointed to him being pissed off by the operation, which was understandable. Emilio Ramon was not only aligned with Sanchez, he placed the entire F.B.I department at risk.

Things just became very complicated.

By the way, he was wearing street clothes – white button down shirt and jeans. It was kinda' out of place with the whole nightclub spiel but then again this wasn't the time to play fashion police.

"Well, this operation was rigged from the start," I said, the minute he stopped in front of us. "Did we even have a chance of knowing that Ramon would betray us?"

I don't think my words came out as business-like as I had hoped.

Chief Randall sighed, giving me a withered look. "Redfield, I am not in the mood for your antics. This is a serious matter and the F.B.I is in jeopardy. No, we didn't know that Ramon would botch the operation and side with Sanchez. This puts us in a difficult spot."

"It does," Mr. Freeze said. "We need to question one of the suspects, if possible."

Yeah, when an officer mentions questioning, it usually means interrogation. Trust me, I read about Mr. Freeze's file and when it came to interrogations, he was no slouch. If you thought perps passing out in the middle of the office was terrifying, then seeing him in action in an interrogation room was bound to give anyone nightmares. The last guy he interrogated…well let's just say that things didn't end well. Somehow, Mr. Freeze was placed on modified duty for a couple of weeks during his officer days in Washington.

Um...I guess I did a little more snooping around than needed when I read about him.

...And that's when my accidental outburst sets in.

"We could get clues on the shipment." I pitched in. "We didn't quite get them tonight so there's always Option B. Hopefully we can question one of the guys without an…incident…?"

"An incident?" Mr. Freeze repeated, staring down at me to the point I could have sworn those frozen orbs turned me into stone. "What incident are you referring to?"

"Did I mention incident? I mean I don't think I did..."

"Redfield..." Chief Randall growls.

I swallowed hard, staring up at him with a nervous laugh. "Uh...I mean...the suspect we're questioning should be safe...right?"

Mr. Freeze's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by safe?"

"Why wouldn't he be safe?" Chief Randall questioned, giving me the Clint Eastwood glare along with his infamous scowl. "What exactly are you referring to Redfield?"

"I wasn't referring to anything!" I insisted. "I'm just saying that hopefully the suspect will be on um...one piece when questioning is...over?"

Chief Randall's scowl deepened.

Mr. Freeze didn't look happy at all. Okay, you're probably going to ask me _'when does he ever look happy?!'_ but this is a whole kind of _'not happy'_ we're talking about. He's staring at me like he's about to grab me by the freaking neck.

And that's when I knew I was screwed.

Did you ever hear about that saying about being like a deer that's caught in headlights?

Sometimes, it's best to keep the lips sealed.

* * *

 **Rule #14:** _Don't ever bring up a new partner's past, especially the one I'm partnered with._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Uh oh, what did Claire read in that file about Mr. Freeze regarding interrogations? Claire seems to get herself in these little slipups, doesn't she?

Well, based on the poll on Mr. Freeze's possible ex-wife, we will know by **Chapter Sixteen** who it is. I would like to thank everyone for the support and reviews so far, I really appreciate them. I have done some format changes in regards to this story and **Resident Evil: Endgame** _(if you are a Jake/Sherry fan, you can check it out)_ , where author notes will now be at the bottom of every chapter.

 **'Big Trouble in De Cosa'** is a throwback to the movie **'Big Trouble in Little China** **'**.

 **(1)** Meringue is Spanish music that's usually played at parties.


	15. Chapter 15: Mr Bad Cop

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . .**

 **Chapter Fifteen** : Mr. Bad Cop

 **. . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which Mr. Freeze gets a bit too physical for comfort and I find out he was really married. And Chief Randall berates me...for the thousandth time."_

* * *

[ **Time** : 11:30 p.m]

* * *

Maybe I should provide a bit of a backstory as to why I blurted out my concern for the suspect's safety.

Not that I cared what happened to the guy after the information was pushed out of him but while he was still useful, we needed him in a stable, mental state of mind.

Remember when I said it seemed like Mr. Freeze enjoyed crippling our triad friends a little too much?

Well, he's a bit of a sadist.

No, I'm not implying that he's some psychopath, out for innocent blood. What I meant is that he had no problems torturing a suspect, if it meant extracting the information out of them. That involved physical altercations, and turning them into sniffling crybabies.

That's never a good thing.

Me, on the other hand, took a more diplomatic approach when it came to interrogations. Sometimes I got rough but I never went overboard. You needed your suspects alive, not tortured to the point they're crying for their mothers, grandmothers and fathers.

Anyways, the last guy he interrogated was involved in smuggling weapons. These guys were planning on selling them on the black market to a specific buyer. That included AK-47's, handguns, shotguns, and remote controlled detonators. I might have read about this on the news some time ago but couldn't remember the details. I was too busy in my own little circle of life to know what was happening outside of Los Angeles and that was a time where Kennedy and I got all sorts of cases. You know, I never figured out how Kennedy ever got the information out of our suspects without breaking their noses. Maybe he promised them a beer or something, but then again that's something I should ask him the next time we talk. **(1)**

Someone decided that it was a brilliant idea for Mr. Freeze to be in charge of interrogating the head honcho of the ring. At first, he started off calm _(calm would be that monotonous stare he gives me, you know…the one that could shatter a mirror?)_ , demanding to know who the buyer was. Chances are that they were selling them to someone high-ranking in the black market.

Yes, the black market exists, and it's prevalent throughout Washington, New York, and Los Angeles.

Naturally, the suspect was cocky, taunting Mr. Freeze, claiming that he'll never get anything out of him and he'll be back on the streets in no time. I'm sure deep down inside he was scared _(intimidation factor anyone?)_ and was using those words to remain calm, but that was a huge mistake on his part.

Mr. Freeze grabbed the chair he was sitting in, marched over to the door and shoved the front piece underneath the steel knob. The district attorney and the chief knew something was wrong because they were watching from the bulletproof glass and called uniformed cops to get through the door before the guy suffered Mr. Freeze's wrath.

But they couldn't get in to save him from a busted nose and having a knee shoved up his chin. So, the guy was not only in pain, he was being choked and sputtering blood at the same time.

…Holy crap.

" _Perhaps you need a reminder of who you're speaking to…"_ Yep, that comment was anything but friendly. _"…because I can easily break you, mentally and physically. Tell me what I want to know and I will spare your miserable sanity."_

So, the guy ended up spilling every single detail, until he was dragged from the room, shivering like an orphan in the middle of winter. And when it comes to injuring suspects, it was a no-no in the officer handbook. The suspect can scream ' _police brutality!'_ and viola, the defense lawyer had a good reason to get their defendant off the hook.

Which is what happened to Mr. Freeze.

Based on what I read, while he was considered a highly-decorated officer, he was also a very unforgiving one who couldn't be trusted with conducting interrogations alone.

I don't think I ever want to see another grown man freaking out.

I also don't think I was supposed to look at that file.

My slip didn't sit well with Chief Randall. Mr. Freeze, on the other hand said nothing, not even when we were heading back to base with a suspect in tow. The rest were carted off to a detaining area that was mandated by the F.B.I. I guess I should have been cheering that he was silent, but something told me that I chose the wrong time to open my mouth.

Cue the reason why I was in the chief's office, yet again.

"What the hell were you thinking Redfield?"

My eyes followed Chief Randall as he paced back and forth. I was dressed down in a white t-shirt and jeans after taking a much-needed shower in the lady's locker room downstairs and taking off my undercover clothes that was more than enough to get a few stares from the male cops passing by. I don't even know where Mr. Freeze is right now. Our suspect, on the other hand was in an interrogation room, with cops guarding the door.

"Why did you feel the need to snoop around? Who told you to read that file?"

"Sir, I brought it up accidentally but at the same time, shouldn't we also be concerned? We can't afford having this suspect injured." I replied, hoping that Chief Randall would see it from my perspective. I mean, yeah, I've been in interrogation sessions with Kennedy but even he knew when to hold back.

Still, I guess I felt a little guilty about blurting that out.

Just a little.

"Don't you think I'm aware of that?" Chief Randall snapped. "I didn't plan to have him interrogating the suspect alone. Officer Wesker doesn't like to be reminded of that situation because it nearly placed his career in jeopardy. That's part of the reason why he was transferred here. The other half was to give you a partner with more expertise than Kennedy. If I were you, Officer Redfield, I would apologize immediately."

I just stared at Chief Randall.

Is he for real?!

Yes, I said I felt a bit guilty blurting that out but how is it my fault that Mr. Freeze thought it was okay to injure a suspect in a smuggling case?! I was tired and hungry for some weird reason and didn't feel like dealing with him. Then again, the only thing I had for dinner was leftover chow mien from when someone decided to be generous with lunch and bought Chinese food for the office.

"…Apologize…?" I repeated. "Apologize as in…apologize, apologize? Or just say sorry for looking at the file of the guy he nearly placed in a coma…?"

I don't think I heard that right.

What the hell am I apologizing for? _'Oh, I'm sorry that I was right about you being a psychopath?!'_

Seriously?!

Chief Randall stopped pacing and slammed both hands on his desk, causing me to flinch and the pictures and knickknacks to rattle. "Did I stutter? I don't believe I did. I'm already dealing with enough crap as it is Redfield! I don't need your crap too! We just had an operation go south and you open your mouth at the wrong time as usual! Either apologize or I'm placing you on desk duty for the rest of your career! And enough of your sarcasm!"

"But sir..." I began, but he cuts me off before another word flies out of my mouth.

"Now Redfield!"

I was close to swallowing the wrong way.

Chief Randall meant business.

When he slams his hands on the table, you were really screwed.

This was the second time he threatened desk duty. Either he was intimidated by Mr. Freeze or he was trying to make my life a living hell, where every sensitive thing I said, I'll have to apologize.

I was beginning to think it was both.

"…Yes sir." I mumbled, and got up to leave.

Humiliation really has no bounds.

* * *

 **. . . . .**

* * *

I found Mr. Freeze in the cafeteria, after running into Vanessa. The whole Sanchez fiasco spread like wildfire, so it was easy for her to joke about our 'relationship', asking if the honeymoon was over so quickly. Of course, I gave her one of my best dirty looks, causing her to back off from the quips. It was also surprising that her partner in crime wasn't around.

I didn't ask by the way.

It was best that I didn't know, otherwise those two would be scheming behind my back right now.

My goal was to find the freezer and get this over with.

Anyway, he was sitting in the back, with a tall cup of coffee in front of him. He was also on the phone and sounded pissed off. Well, he wasn't shouting or anything, but the tone was enough to indicate something was wrong.

He was still dressed in the outfit he wore at the nightclub.

He didn't see me _(at least not right away)_ , so it was easy to dive for cover behind one of the columns just before I reached the table and peeked around the corner.

" _I suggest that you don't play this game with me Ada…"_ Who the heck Ada was, I was about to find out soon enough. _"…our daughter doesn't need to be involved in your pathetic agenda. I look forward to seeing you in court, where I'm sure you'll look foolish in front of the judge."_

I nearly choked over my spit.

He really **_was_** married!

I was wondering who was crazy enough to marry him and I found that this Ada woman had just the right amount of craziness in her!

That's about all I heard because the conversation ended just like that. To be honest, since I came downstairs, I wasn't even sure how long he had been on the phone.

Turning away, I leaned against the wall.

" _Well, that would explain why he acts like a stick is shoved up his ass…"_ I mumbled to myself _. "I mean, sounds like this Ada woman is freaking crazy…which probably drove him crazy …and_ _that's why I'm dealing with a psychopath in the first place. You know, that's just brilliant Claire. You're stuck with a nut job, you've managed to piss Chief Randall off again, and you're involved in an operation gone wrong. And now your friends are flailing over Mr. Bad Cop. This is your life in a freaking nutshell, where a nightmare starts brewing and..."_

"Eavesdropping is rather boorish, even for you Officer Redfield."

If there was ever a time I nearly jumped out of my skin, it would be now. By the way, he was alone in the cafeteria, with not a single person in sight.

And now it was me, alone with Mr. Freeze.

… _Crap._

I think my ghost ran out of my body again.

I scrambled away from the wall and backed away as fast as I could. He was leaning against the opposite side, his arms folded.

How in the world did he know I was there?!

I shook off my stupor and folded my arms as well. "Who says I was eavesdropping?! I didn't even know you were on the phone!"

"Is that why you were muttering to yourself just now? You cannot feign idiocy Officer Redfield. Although, your conversation was quite interesting. It's good to know I have that effect on you. Do you consider me a sexy psychopath or sexy, with a stick shoved up my ass?"

…How the hell did he hear me?!

I wasn't even talking that loud!

Or at least...I don't think I was talking that loud.

Before I could say anything, Mr. Freeze continued. "You read more about my file than I expected you would. I will share a little story with you. The _Washington Police Department_ expected me to go soft on a suspect that was off the hook for a murder case he was never tried for because he bribed his way through the system. That case involved an entire family that was tortured, beaten, and their home was burned to the ground. There was no evidence linking him to the case, however he was a questionable variable because of his criminal history. His taunts annoyed me to the point I simply snapped. Now, your chief and the ones involved in my transfer are afraid that leaving me alone with a suspect again will yield unfavorable results."

…Whoa.

That was perhaps the biggest mouthful I ever heard from Mr. Freeze. Come to think of it, I didn't even know he was capable of more than one sentence until now. And he moves away from the wall and stares at me, expecting a response.

"Uh…"

' _You know Claire, you could have just scampered off the minute you heard him on the phone and this wouldn't have happened.'_ My inner voice chimes in. _'It's not like you had to apologize to Mr. Freeze now…right? In fact, you could have just pretended that you said absolutely nothing at that nightclub.'_

Mr. Freeze's eyebrow rose. "Did I render the infamous Officer Redfield speechless? I'm shocked that I haven't heard another immature retort from you. I'm also sure Chief Randall sent you here to apologize, otherwise you wouldn't be here in the first place."

I snapped out of my _'inner voice'_ trance. "W…What?! Me, come downstairs to apologize?! Why the hell would I apologize over that?! I came downstairs for coffee okay? Coffee! I haven't had a cup of coffee in a while!"

"Is that why you were hiding behind a random wall?"

"Well I was…just waiting for someone!"

' _Oh sure, you were waiting for someone…what are you freaking nuts?!'_ My inner voice is yelling at me right now. _'Who did you even expect to see down here now?! Its eleven-forty-five! Just hurry up and get this apology over with!'_

Mr. Freeze looks around, only to zero in on me again. "I believe it's only us down here, so that isn't a valid excuse, unfortunately. Chief Randall is only afraid that I may decide to harm our guest in the interrogation room. His fear is fascinating, yet amusing at the same time, don't you think?"

Those eyes can't be natural.

"I doubt Chief Randall is scared of you!"

"I must have been wrong in assuming that you only came down here to apologize then."

"I didn't come here to apologize!"

"Then why are you here? I hope you realized that your comment at the nightclub was uncalled for."

 _'Yeah, like your torture is uncalled for too but you still do it!'_ I wanted to yell out but kept it to myself for some odd reason.

Again, I felt like I was rooted on the spot. "…Well…you know what? I only said those things in the nightclub because I didn't want you crippling our suspect! I was concerned! We need him in one piece if we're going to get near Sanchez and his new partner in crime!"

Mr. Freeze chuckled. "And why should I cripple him? You will be in the room with me, where Chief Randall can squirm and count down how long it takes before I lose my patience. I'm sure you only blurted that little story just to have your revenge against the way I've been _'treating'_ you. You have a terrible habit of attempting to hide things from me Officer Redfield and secrecy is something I detest."

Hiding things?

Hiding what things?!

What the heck is that supposed to mean?!

"What did I hide from you?" Okay, I really can't stand when Mr. Freeze talks in cryptic language. "And what revenge?! Like I said, I was only concerned about the whole interrogation thing! You know, where we need the guy in one piece?!"

"Oh?" That's when he approaches me. It was a deliberate walk, forcing me to back away.

Okay, just what the heck is going on?

For some reason, I was now cursing myself for leaving my handy pepper spray upstairs in the drawer of my desk. I really didn't like the way he was approaching me and I could still smell a faint trace of that distinctive cologne/aftershave he tends to wear. "Am I supposed to believe your line of reasoning? You're a terrible liar Officer Redfield."

"Back up before I'm forced to go medieval on your ass!" Yes, that just flew out of my mouth.

"Medieval?" Mr. Freeze questions. "I'm sorry, you can try to go _'medieval'_ on my ass, and I can take you out, just as before in that café."

And that's when I collided with the edge of a table. Okay, one…this was very creepy and two, I was still cursing myself for the pepper spray again. Or I could, I don't know, scramble around the table and run for my life?

That's just what I attempted to do, until Mr. Freeze cornered me with an arm that shot out and blocked the left side. I tried the right side, but he ended up blocking that too, until he leaned forward and those frozen hues called eyes focused on mine.

"The next time you decide to _'accidentally'_ open your mouth, be sure that your outburst doesn't involve my name. I would also suggest that you try to be a little more secretive when spying. Muttering nonsense to yourself ruins the effect. I was only testing your resolve during these past few days to see how long it took before you cracked. I see that I'm doing a fairly good job."

My Redfield temper flared up the minute those words left his mouth. "Crack me? You haven't even scratched the surface! You know, apologizing to you would be like apologizing to a corpse. You are the most egotistical, self-centered, asshole I have ever met, let alone have for a partner! I didn't ask for you in the first place! Someone told me you were down here! I don't even know what Chief Randall was thinking!"

"I'm sure those insults only mask the way you really feel about me. As for knowing where I was, I'm sure you got that information from those two idiots upstairs."

I didn't even ask who he was referring to. A certain Lydia and Vanessa came to mind. Okay, as much as it pains me, I'd have to agree with Mr. Freeze about those troublemakers.

"No, it doesn't!"

"Then what was that in the parking lot on Saturday?"

"I said that was an accidental slip! "

"Your accidents occur often, doesn't it?"

"Back off before I make you eat this table!"

"And how exactly do you intend to make me eat a table?"

My left knee shot out, aiming for the sunshine, only for him to block it with his leg. I should note that Mr. Freeze had the reflexes of a jaguar and an eagle mixed together.

So yeah, aiming for the groin area wasn't a good idea when it came to dealing with him.

The smirk rears its ugly head once again. "That's interesting…I don't seem to be eating the table right now."

"You son of a…!"

Soon, I was throwing my right leg, a left hook and a right hook. Mr. Freeze just blocks them like they were nothing, until I found both of my wrists pinned behind my back with one hand. I struggled as much as I could to get out, but I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. How in the world did my years of training in the freaking academy failed?!

Is this man even human?!

Wait…don't answer that question.

"You can't seem to stop insulting me, it seems. But that's quite alright. I'm sure you're just speaking from the goodness of your heart."

"The goodness of my heart?!" My temper was just going in full overdrive now. "You better pray I don't get out of this because when I do— "

"Just like you got out of the handcuffs at the café?"

"You…!"

"Come to think of it, I did enjoy that incident very much. The way you squirmed and begged to eat your breakfast, it was like a baby crying for its milk."

"I wasn't squirming or begging! Stop insulting me!"

"That was just a simple observation."

"...Argh! Do you ever shut up?!"

"I'm afraid not. Get used to my voice for the time being."

"Get off of me right...now!"

Grinding my teeth together has got to be a world record.

* * *

 **Rule#15** : _Never forget the pepper spray._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

This chapter was a lot of fun to write, namely because we now know who Mr. Freeze's ex-wife was and his whole teasing of Claire only gets worse from here, lol. I felt that this was a perfect way to end the chapter. Thank you once more for the reviews and support. It really means a lot to me.

* * *

 **(1)** Throwback to Resident Evil 4. Remember the helicopter guy that was just so conveniently shot down the minute Leon was talking about taking him out for drinks?


	16. Chapter 16: When Heads Collide

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . .**

 **Chapter Sixteen** : When Heads Collide...Literally

 ** _. . . . ._**

* * *

" _In which I really shouldn't try butting heads with Mr. Freeze and somewhere in that black heart, he somehow cares for my well-being...well almost anyway."_

* * *

You see, I have a very low tolerance for egotistical men.

They act like they knew everything, as if they were the best the world had to offer. But Mr. Freeze took egotism to a whole new otherworldly level. I mean, look at the way he dresses! His suits look way too expensive to just be secret agent attire! And seriously, how much gel does he even use?! His hair was never out of place and was combed back to the point you could literally see his sharp jaw and nose. I also could have sworn he was wearing a cologne that Chris nagged me for since last Christmas but it was sold out.

A bottle of that stuff alone was expensive to the point I'm sure it was as much as a walk-in closet filled with designer clothes. Which...I pointed out to Chris and of course he ranted for several days before he realized that he wasn't getting that cologne.

I…really have no idea why I'm analyzing Mr. Freeze by the way.

Maybe I'm trying to figure out how to shatter his nose and make him cry for once. Come of think of it, he doesn't seem like the type to react when it comes to pain.

I should test that theory for myself and he was just begging for me to do it, considering that I've cracked heads with plenty of guys who thought handicapping my legs and arms was enough to gain the upper hand.

He was one of the only few men who pushed me beyond my tolerance level.

Here I am, in the most awkward position ever, with him holding me to the point I couldn't move at all. Our heads were close to touching, so that gave me the perfect opportunity to pounce.

I think I'm going to enjoy this.

"Well, this is a very interesting position to be in, isn't it Officer Redfield?" This mental case was enjoying every minute of my discomfort as he stared down at me. "I really do wonder how you plan to get out of this. Your options are limited and struggling won't help in the end."

As much as my temper was beyond the boiling point now, I gave Mr. Freeze my best frigid smirk. "Oh, I don't know…you have my arms behind my back and your legs are between mine. Don't you think this is a bit inappropriate? After all, you said we should keep our relationship professional. I'm starting to think you enjoy seeing me like this, which is highly possible, due to your sadistic nature."

Of course, he matches my smirk. "I don't know Officer Redfield…is it? You attacked first and I took the proper steps to deal with you. If you want me to release you, all you have to do is ask. Or apologize...but of course that choice is up to you. Also, don't flatter yourself. For me to even consider you beyond a professional level is ludicrous."

"And why should I have to ask for you to let go of me when you're the one who attacked first? And I'm not apologizing to you!"

"You tried to run. Did you expect I wouldn't stop you?"

"Well...it seemed better to run away from nutcases like you at the time. I'm not as stupid as you think I am."

"And how exactly do you consider me a nutcase?"

"Overreacting to a simple mistake? I mean, who **_wouldn't_** consider you a psycho? Acting like this whole scenario isn't appropriate? Nope, you're a perfectly normal human being! No craziness involved! I'm sure your ex-wife thinks you're normal too!"

"I don't consider blocking attacks as inappropriate, Officer Redfield and I would suggest not mentioning my ex-wife."

He wasn't having the last word, not on my freaking watch! "Oh really? Why don't you answer that question of inappropriateness, right after I introduce you to a world of pain?"

Before Mr. Freeze asked me what I was referring to, my head crashed into his face as hard as I could. Okay, well it wasn't as hard as I'd like it to give him a broken nose, but it startled him to the point he stumbled, releasing me at the same time.

And…my head is screeching from the impact.

…Maybe this wasn't one of my best ideas.

Nope, it wasn't at all.

"Ow!"

I was rubbing my head like crazy, feeling the effects of head butting a tall, well-built former CIA guy. It was only a matter of time before I began seeing stars and weird circular things in my field of vision. Mr. Freeze was shaking his head, as if he was also in a daze.

"…What…what the hell is your head made of, steel implants…?!" I yelled. "...I should have broken your freaking nose, not crack my skull…!"

Mr. Freeze gritted his teeth and for the first time in history, I saw a dark scowl on his face. "...Break my nose? Your idiocy never fails…does it?"

"Well you…were asking for it…!" Okay, now I feel like I'm about to pass out. "…You're the one…who thought it was 'oh such a good idea' to get in my face and threaten me…! And then you had me pinned against the table! How else you thought I was getting out of your grip?! Also, stop calling me an idiot…!"

His bitter laugh echoed around the cafeteria. "…A threat? That was hardly a threat. You caused this altercation…by opening your mouth regarding my past—"

 **DID HE JUST IGNORE THE REST OF MY RESPONSE?!**

This freaking…okay I admit that I'm running out of insults but this man is so frustrating to deal with!

Mr. Freeze had this habit of only responding to comments or questions that were only favorable to him. Anything else resulted in him ignoring the rest of my rants or pretending he didn't hear me.

"…I caused this?!" I cut him off. "You approached me like the creep that you are…! And excuse me for being worried for a suspect we have to question…! Damn it…my freaking head…!"

"We both know…that if you hadn't read that file, you would have cared less about what I did to our suspect. You continue to amuse me each day…with your antics. It also appears that the attack affected you more than it affected me."

"I still should have broken your nose...!"

"And yet you failed to do it. A valiant effort...but useless and ineffective."

"How the hell could you still be an asshole right now…?!"

"That must be another favorite…word of yours."

"Yeah…and there's a lot more…of where that came from!"

"You seem to think…I care about your insults."

"Argh! Just shut…up!"

"Unprofessional…as usual."

"You are such a freaking…!"

I was seconds away from charging at Mr. Freeze and attempt to tackle _(key word – attempt)_ him to the floor, but dizziness was beginning to set in.

That was when I blacked out.

With a thud.

* * *

 **. . . . .**

* * *

I should have known better than to attempt a headbutt on Mr. Freeze.

It didn't end pretty for me and by the time I came to my senses _(after another horrific dream that involved Mr. Freeze but we'll get to that later)_ , I found myself sprawled out on the couch in the department lounge with a large icepack across my forehead. I'm sure that his daze must have been temporary because he wasn't stumbling around like a drunk hooker in a night club.

"Ugh…" I felt like I was hit by a freight train.

It took me a while before my eyes adjusted to the bright lights, the three snack dispensers against the left side of the wall, three potted plants near the windows, and a tall figure staring out of one of them.

It was Mr. Freeze.

Of course, it was him! Who else did you expect Claire, a leprechaun?

Then again, seeing a bright green guy in an Irish suit wasn't such a bad idea if it meant not seeing that stupid blond snowball. I really expected him to just disappear within a puff of smoke and everything went back to the way it was before Chief Randall thought it was a brilliant idea to make us partners but no such luck.

He was still here, in my life, ready to cause more hell.

Wait a freaking minute…how the world did I end up in the lounge?!

Please tell me he didn't do what I think he did.

I hope no one saw this because I can only imagine the humiliation that was about to follow. I can see the headlines now: ' _Unconscious female officer was carried bridal style up to the lounge by her new partner and nemesis after attempting a near fatal head butt.'_

Vanessa and Lydia would have a field day with this if they knew.

This wasn't good.

This wasn't good at all.

I managed to sit up, holding the icepack to my forehead. Well, at least someone was nice enough to give me something to ease my aching head.

Oh great…don't tell me that Mr. Freeze was responsible for that too!

"How did I get here?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at his back.

I still felt weird but at least it didn't feel like a concussion scenario. How I wasn't even able to crack his nose is beyond me. I swear, this is another ploy by the unknown deity to allow this nightmare to drag on. I'm sure the deity is just snickering at my unfortunate luck, giddy that I'm still paired with Mr. Freeze, and I was close to committing seppuku **(1)** with a near fatal blow that could have landed me in a hospital.

Mr. Freeze didn't even turn around. "The sleeping annoyance awakens from her slumber. As much as I could have allowed you to lay sprawled out in the middle of the cafeteria, it would have only caused unnecessary attention."

I heard the _'sleeping annoyance'_ comment but I decided to let it slide for the time being. "…Who told you to put your slimy hands on me?!"

"Since when did I need permission?" Mr. Freeze soon turned away from the window and gave me one of his looks, you know, out of the goodness of his _'heart'_.

Oh, I'm sorry, he either doesn't have one or its blacker than his jacket.

"I gave you sound advice on keeping your mouth shut, and you decided to attempt something reckless and stupid, only to pass out in the middle of the cafeteria. You were in no position to negotiate— "

I didn't even give him a chance to finish.

I jumped from the couch and threw the icepack at his head.

He sidesteps, causing it to hit the wall between the windows with a resounding plop and drop to the floor. Honestly...he could dodge an icepack but couldn't see a head butt coming a mile away? I mean, what else did he expect me to do if one hand is holding down both of my wrists and he's in my face?!

Let's not forget that he's strong. Must have been those years in the military and that CIA/adviser training. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. With a partner that acted like a drill sergeant and a service agent with the mannerisms of a rock, I'm not blown away by anything right now.

I really shouldn't have attempted this, even if it was the best way to escape a fruitcake.

I marched right up to him with the most effective glare I could muster. "You are seriously unbelievable! I like how you ignore the fact that **a.** you were the one who got in my face and **b.** you were asking for it! You had your hand locked down on my wrists! The only way to get out was to use my head! Questioning my years in the academy and yet you didn't even know that it was the best thing to do in a situation like that, even if I suffered a concussion!"

Mr. Freeze responded in the way he knew best, monotonous and bound to piss me off either way. "Then you would have given your assailant the perfect opportunity to dump your body. Though, I'm not surprised that you failed yet another test."

I just gaped at him.

A test?!

Wait a minute, what test?!

Before I could even ask him what the hell he was talking about, the two troublemakers I was dreading ever since Mr. Freeze brought me up here bridal-style _(of course, out of the 'goodness' of his cold, black heart)_ opened the door to the lounge. They were giggling about something _(I'm sure it had something to do with me because let's face it, those two were troublemakers)_ , until they saw us standing there.

Why do these things keep happening to me?!

"Uh…" Lydia began, and I knew it was her, based on the voice alone.

Mr. Freeze and I turned around at the same time.

"…did we interrupt something?" Vanessa finished, but I could just see that smirk developing around the corners of her mouth. In case you haven't noticed, she was the one who told me where Mr. Freeze was so it was natural for her to have that stupid grin on her face.

My face on the other hand?

Right now, it was the equivalent of my brother's _'Where's Waldo?'_ stripped shirt the minute she said that. Mr. Freeze, well he just made his way towards the door, forcing Lydia and Vanessa to move out of the way, but not before uttering what I didn't think he would say.

"As a matter of fact, yes. However, if I were you two, I would try not to cause trouble in my presence, otherwise I will personally make sure that you lose your badges."

Whoa.

That...well I didn't really have anything to say about that because my jaw was seconds from hitting the floor. And Lydia and Vanessa, well they looked a bit fearful as Mr. Freeze walked out of the door.

I really hope that Chief Randall knew nothing about what happened in that cafeteria.

I could only imagine the repercussions and the yelling in my face if he knew.

* * *

 **Rule #** **16** **:** _Headbutting a former military/CIA guy is suicide._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

And, another chapter done! Chapter Seventeen is the interrogation scene, which will make things interesting and hilarious at the same time. I know this chapter seems short, but I felt this was a good place to end it. In case you haven't noticed, I have quotations at the bottom of every chapter title. That's to make the story even more hilarious as you read each chapter.

* * *

 **Seppuku** : Otherwise known as _'suicide'_ in Japanese.


	17. Chapter 17: Challenges of Doom!

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Seventeen:** Challenges of Doom!

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which we got some information out of our suspect without a busted nose or bones and Mr. Freeze is mysteriously generous…again, with some dark humor thrown in. Also, why did it have to freaking rain and how did I end up in his car again?! On top of that, did he just issue a challenge to me?!"_

* * *

Hikaru Bryce was one of those guys where you'd like to smash their face in.

He was overconfident and cared more about money than getting killed.

I could have been the one to grant that wish, had it not been for the taskforce busting in and saving him from my fist. In case you're wondering, yes, he was the last guy I was seconds away from pummeling after Mr. Freeze and I mowed down the rest of the thugs.

He was one of those mixed white Asian guys with boyish good looks, but had to end up on the wrong side of the law for whatever reason. Mr. Freeze and I learned that he was the son of a crack mother and a father who drank alcohol like it was water. Throw in the fact that he was a problem kid in junior high, highschool and bounced from one foster family to another and you have a guy who got his thrills from being a career criminal.

It wasn't surprising that he wore that snobby grin on his face the minute Mr. Freeze and I walked in. Our interrogation room was just the standard white walled, mahogany table/three chair combination. Hikaru was sprawled out in the single chair, toying with a gum wrapper while he chewed.

The room smelled like a faint whiff of spearmint gum.

His light gray eyes focused on me, as that grin transformed into a sneer. "Oh, you're that cop that nearly took me out. You might have taken out the other guys but you wouldn't even have touched me."

Did I also mention that he was a cocky prick who knew Japanese and spoke a combination of English/Japanese to throw people off just in case you didn't know the language? This wasn't his first rodeo with the law and he tended to piss off a good number of his interrogators before he was forced to cough up information.

Well some anyway, before he weasled his way out.

Oh goody.

I'm sure him and Mr. Freeze will get along just fine.

"I doubt that," I said, standing right in front of him from across the other side of the table. Mr. Freeze was standing in the left corner of the room, arms folded as he leaned against the wall.

Seriously, this was like preventing a bull from goring an unsuspecting perp, even if he was acting like an idiotic tough guy. Keep in mind that this guy was in his early thirties and the oldest guy we took out was nearing his fifties.

I could only hope he didn't give us trouble because the last thing I needed was Mr. Freeze going full psycho on me. I mean yeah, this idiot deserved whatever was coming to him but we still needed him in one piece.

"Acting cocky doesn't get you out of this mess you're in. Tell us what we _(and I inwardly cringed at the word 'we')_ want to know and I'll guarantee that your transfer to a federal prison will be painless."

Bryce laughed. _"_ _Un, mā, anata wa watashi no uchi kara nanika o eru koto wa arimasen'node, anata no pātonā to issho ni nugisuteru. Sore o kangaete miru to, kare wa nyūsu ya nanika de kare o mita yō ni, yoku shira rete iru yō ni mieru."_

Okay, I understood nothing that he said, _(I_ _had very limited understanding when it comes to Japanese in general)_ but Mr. Freeze must have understood everything because he pulled up from the wall.

My Claire senses were tingling.

Whatever Bryce said couldn't be good if Mr. Freeze made his way around the table only to sit at the edge, staring down at him.

Bryce smirked.

"Uh...what the hell did he just say…?" I asked.

I was beginning to feel uneasy.

"It seems like he considers me a celebrity," Mr. Freeze said, but I really didn't like that tone his response left behind. "As flattering as that may seem, it means nothing to me. Perhaps Mr. Bryce should be reminded of the situation he's in, don't you think?"

"I'm sure he knows!" I said quickly, giving the glass window of the interrogation room a nervous, lopsided grin before I turned back around. Outside, I could see our department's district attorney and Mr. Randall observing us on the other side. Penny Wales looked nervous, as if she was aware of Mr. Freeze's history and Chief Randall had that look on his face, you know the one that screamed _'screw this up and it's on your head'._

Maybe Mr. Freeze wasn't far off from assuming Chief Randall was afraid of him.

Should I mention how tall he was and the potential to give grown men nightmares? Or the fact that he was a bad cop? I don't mean bad in a sense that he sucks at his job, but he made perps terrified of their own shadows.

Great, throw more pressure on me, why don't you?!

I feel like the world is on my freaking shoulders!

Anyway, Mrs. Wales was a British native in her thirties, with short brown hair, dark eyes, and looked too much like an older version of Angelina Jolie. She was dressed down in a white short and navy blue dress pants, a far cry from her usual dress suits. Every now and then, she would whisper to Chief Randall, which meant they were probably getting the uniformed cops ready, just in case.

Or they were questioning my ability to pacify Mr. Blond Psycho.

"Let me talk to him and I'm sure we'll get the answers that we need...in a diplomatic way...? _"_

 _"Watashi wa yoku shitte iru to omou..."_ Mr. Freeze responds in perfect Japanese and just ignores me _(that's freaking insane by the way)._ **(1)** _"Shikashi, sore wa anata ga iru jōkyō to wa nani no kankei mo nai nodesu ka? Reddofīrudoofisā wa watashitachi ga naze koko ni iru no ka o meikaku ni shita to omoimasu. Watashitachi_ wa _itsumo_ _kore o muzukashī hōhō de yaru koto ga dekimasuga, anata wa sore o ōini tanoshimu koto wa_ _dekimasen."_ **(2)**

And that's when Bryce shifted in his chair and the smirk disappeared.

By the look on his face, I could tell that Mr. Freeze's words _(or whatever he_ _just said)_ didn't sit well with him. I'm sure he also didn't know that one of us knew and understood Japanese so he couldn't get away with speaking in another language to begin with. Of course, you would have translators in the room but with the way this guy must have acted, getting off the hook was a breeze for him.

This really makes you question the legal system.

"I want my lawyer," he said after a moment of silence, his eyes darting to me because somehow looking at Mr. Freeze must have been terrifying enough. Just as I predicted, the tough guy act evaporated immediately. "I...I'm not talking until I get a lawyer...okay...?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Sure, like a lawyer is going to save you from the fruitcake of an officer I have to work with.

Time to beat some common sense in this guy before he becomes 'Brycesuey'.

"Getting a lawyer isn't going to help you know," I said "We know that you've been involved in several drug shipments and about your boss. I think it's in your best interest to cooperate and drop the tough guy act— "

"Yeah, so what?" Bryce interrupts me. "Every cop and their mother knows about my history."

"Sure they do. Listen, I'm trying to save your ass. My partner isn't a very patient man and if you try to make this any more difficult then it needs to be, then I can't really protect you from what he decides to do right now."

"And I don't take to kindly to threats lady—"

"You have a daughter that you haven't seen in ten years, right?"

"…What?"

Even Mr. Freeze's eyebrow rose as he glanced at me and I gave him my best victory smirk.

In your face Mr. Freeze!

I know how to negotiate without busting some guy's face in!

"We can always arrange a short visit if you cooperate with us." I continued on, my tone firm and to the point. "She's currently with a family who loves her very much but I'm sure they wouldn't mind the visit. This is a deal I doubt you'll walk away from and I also know you care about her a lot. The choices are clear so choose wisely and I'll keep my end of the bargain."

' _And I can also guarantee my new partner doesn't break your kneecaps.'_ I was about to add but I thought better of it.

Minutes passed before Bryce spoke. "…You're not pulling shit on me, are you?"

I shook my head. "No, I give you my word."

More time passes before he gave me his decision. Mr. Freeze was still being as imposing as ever, while I chewed on my lower lip.

"…Fine. But I still want my lawyer. And..." Bryce looks at Mr. Freeze and swallows hard. "...keep him away from me...okay...? He creeps me out..."

"You tell us what we want and you'll be fine." I reassured him.

…And that's how I averted a crisis within an hour.

Literally.

* * *

 **[ Time:** 1:00 a.m]

* * *

I hate rain.

I really do.

I hate thunderstorms even more.

I was never a big fan of them, even when I was little. Because my brother was older, he was tasked the role of protector from the lightning and loud growling noises. Then again, I thought the growling came from some giant in the sky that was seconds away from touching down on earth to swallow us whole.

I had a weird, active imagination growing up by the way.

You're probably wondering what that has to do with anything.

Well, it decided to pour that night after the interrogation, complete with the dramatic thunder and lightning. And because I became the newest passenger in Mr. Freeze's vehicle in the morning, I was forced to take mass transit home. Which...hasn't been such a bad thing lately but with a thunderstorm, waiting for the local bus was bound to be a nightmare.

Or…not.

A sleek, familiar car showed up as I was walking, struggling to cover my head with a red and white umbrella I had stashed away in my desk drawer back at L.A.P.D headquarters. **(3)** The Los Angeles heat, combined with heavy rain made me look like a drenched kitten in seconds. The weather forecast didn't mention rain but somehow it was pouring cats and dogs out of nowhere.

That's it, I am never trusting _Weatherman Hilton_ again.

I just rolled my eyes after seeing the car driving right next to me on the curb.

Great, what the heck did Mr. Freeze want now?!

I wasn't in the mood for quips let alone his annoying tendencies to piss me off.

And just to top it off, he was tailing me.

Again.

The window rolls down, and his gaze is focused on me.

"Get in."

He doesn't sound as impassive as he usually sounds, so I guess that was a plus, but his voice was softer than usual.

Okay, wait a minute, what in the world is going on?!

Am I dreaming again?

Did hell just freeze over?

Was Mr. Freeze on drugs?

Why does his voice sound like that?!

Because seriously, I haven't even told you about that crazy dream I had while I was in ' _passed out'_ mode and Mr. Freeze decided to pick me up and bring me to the lounge yet. Thankfully, Chief Randall heard nothing about it, so that was a relief.

As for Lydia and Vanessa, I didn't see those two for the rest of the night.

"Okay, what do you want now?" I snapped, glaring at him. "I'm not heading back to your creepy dungeon so let me go home in peace! And I'm still mad that I didn't break your freaking nose! And you better thank your lucky stars that I handled that interrogation...!"

"I was offering you a ride home, Officer Redfield and also...a cup of coffee."

Huh?

Well that caught me off guard, and ended my rant quicker than I wanted to continue ranting.

He was a bit hesitant on the offer by the way…wait a minute, did he just ask me out on a late night coffee session?

Where did this come from?!

The only time he ever drove me home was when we discussed the case at his place…which ended in a disaster anyway. I was on my own afterwards so I did whatever I could to leave on time for the earliest bus possible. Heck, he didn't even object to it, but only noted how amusing it was in the first place.

Okay, this couldn't be any creepier than it was now.

"…Wait…what?"

I stared at him like he was a three-headed hydra and I had to run for my life. Well, come to think of it, I tried that earlier and it didn't end well.

"As much as it amuses me to see you with that umbrella, resembling a drowned cat, I also don't want a sick partner on my hands…and after a long night, I don't see the harm in doing that."

"I'm sorry, but did you just ask me out for coffee— "

"Don't get any ideas Officer Redfield— "

"Aww, I didn't even know you cared," I said in my best sweet, sarcastic voice, interrupting him. "Are you trying to make up for that incident in the cafeteria or are you trying to embarrass me again?"

Silence prevailed in the car before Mr. Freeze spoke and I could have sworn he sighed.

"…Attempting a random attack like that without noting our differences was foolish…but after thinking it over, it was a wise move. I don't believe there was any other way of getting out of that hold I had on you. Also, I was impressed with your interrogative skills. For that, you earn some of my respect, however don't take it lightly, or I can easily retract my offer. Just be mindful of your _'accidental'_ outbursts in the future. Now get in or you can wait for your bus in the rain. And no, I have no intentions of embarrassing you, unless you cause it yourself."

Is this man for real?!

Did he just compliment me and acted like a pompous jerk at the same time?!

Okay, I'll admit that looking at that file was wrong on my part but I had every right to be concerned about the suspect! For one, Mr. Freeze wasn't happy that we were set up and as much as it irks me…I couldn't blame him. I wasn't happy either because that gave me a chance to prove to Chief Randall that I had some form of discipline.

Some, because that slip in the nightclub and my comment in his office didn't earn me extra brownie points. The only time I earned points was when I concluded the interrogation well enough to the point Mr. Freeze didn't have a global meltdown.

For one thing, we learned that Sanchez was in the Dominican Republic. Then we learned that the shipment would most likely move to another location because of the L.A.P.D's involvement or it'll be heavily guarded with more security because of our undercover operation that soured in an instant.

Which meant that we had to go in with guns blazing and the cavalry itself. That included helicopters, the S.W.A.T team and any other manpower we needed to take everyone out. Bryce did indicate another possible location the shipment could occur but Mr. Freeze concluded that they wouldn't risk the trouble of moving if they could just make the operation more secured. That meant we can either find an empty shipyard _(the shipment is said to be located near the bay area)_ or drugs.

Or...they could speed up the shipment date.

I...really detest this man.

He always seems to have the answers for everything and just knows things! I can't even explain how this is even possible!

"I earned some respect?!" I shook my head and just laughed. "You…are unbelievable. Un-freaking-believable! Can't you just compliment me without being a jerk?! Why is it so difficult to say ' _good_ _job_ ' without being an asshole?! You could have just said _'good job Officer Redfield'_ , or _'good job Claire'_ , because you know...you could always call me by my first name!"

"And how am I un-freaking believable as you so claim? I'm being generous, and you should be more appreciative, unless you want to lose another argument in the middle of a thunderstorm. I don't understand why you're upset over a compliment. And I prefer professionalism. I have no need to address you on a first name basis."

"Oh sure, a compliment laced with insults? Oh, I'm so appreciative Officer Freezer!"

"Such a nice, added touch to my name Officer Redfield. I do appreciate your compliment."

 _Argh!_

 _I can't take this anymore!_

I was way too exhausted to continue arguing with Mr. Freeze and the rain wasn't letting up any time soon. "Look, just forget it! I'll take your stupid offer just this once! But only once! I also don't want to hear about water dripping in your car!"

"It's only water Officer Redfield. Stop being so dramatic."

"I wasn't being dramatic!"

"Of course you weren't. Hurry up."

I was about to snap at him again, until a loud peal of thunder passed through, causing me to flinch and Mr. Freeze was in time to witness it.

It had to freaking rain!

Of all days!

His deliberate smirk sets in, because you know, he couldn't resist poking fun at my childhood fear that still haunts me to this day. "Aww, is Officer Redfield afraid of a little thunder? It amazes me how you insisted on taking mass transit despite your fear. Yet another startling revelation about your personality, it seems— "

I growled, cutting him off.

"Not a word about this. Not one freaking word."

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

"How in the world can you drink coffee like that?!"

I still can't imagine anyone taking their coffee black with no sugar, let alone milk, unless their name was Mr. Freeze. Then again, maybe this was a stupid question to ask. I mean, I did see him eat nothing but a bare salad last week so maybe he was a health nut.

Still, the thought of plain black coffee makes me cringe.

I decided to get hot chocolate instead, complete with whipped cream because I was in a chocolate mood. Mr. Freeze found a café that was open late that wasn't my usual spot but was tolerable. It was smaller, with a simple pastel green and white background. The tables and chairs were a pale shade of wood.

We were sitting by the window in the farthest corner. Thankfully I didn't have women glaring at me or a female waitress taking or delivering our orders. Right now, I was not in the mood to deal with drooling women or flirtatious ones for the record.

Which reminds me, one of our administrative assistants has a big time crush on Mr. Freeze and she's pushing forty.

How did I know?

Well she squeaks like a mouse whenever she sees him with me.

Just my rotting luck!

"Why should my cup of coffee bother you?" Mr. Freeze asked, not looking up from his phone. "Should I point out that the sugar you're consuming right now will only lead to illness in the future?"

That freaking…okay you know what?

Just forget it!

"Well, unfortunately for you, I rarely drink hot chocolate so nice try Dr. Zimmerman." I retorted. "I was just curious because you're a mystery to me. I mean, you're a weirdo. Treat me like I'm beneath you and yet act normal around my friends, not to mention other people. I mean, it's just a strange coincidence."

"I never implied you were beneath me, but I detest immaturity, something of which I was informed of while I read your file. I knew I would have to be prepared either way. Calling me a weirdo is ironic, considering that you're a woman who's afraid of a little thunderstorm. Please tell me that you won't be needing a teddybear in the future for comfort."

"Shut up!"

"And your immaturity shines once more."

"How in the world am I immature?! I acted like anyone who would have gotten sick of your passive-aggressive attitude in seconds! Oh, I'm sorry, I don't act like freaking Robocop! And who informed you about my _'immaturity'_ in the first place because I'm definitely not immature."

"Are you really comparing me to a movie? Your attempts to insult me are pitiful to the point I'm actually sympathetic towards your plight. I encourage you to keep trying Officer Redfield. Maybe someday you will succeed. And that information is classified."

Then he adds. "And this was supposed to be such a peaceful coffee session."

I glared at him. "You are so full of it!"

"I could have sworn you used that line on me before." He retorted.

"Why am I even in here with you?! How does these things keep happening to me!"

"You can't resist me, it seems."

My jaw dropped.

What in the world…this is the second time he's done this!

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I shook my head in absolute horror. "I can resist you just fine!"

"I highly doubt that. Your past tendencies are a dead giveaway."

"What tendencies?!"

"Calling me sexy, trying to flirt in the vintage store, and blushing."

I gaped at him. "Are you freaking serious?! I wasn't trying to flirt in that store! You chose that outfit and I was trying to prove it looked too slutty and you're a freaking man that shouldn't be picking out women's clothing! And are you still on with that accidental slip?! That's your evidence?! You could be the last man on the planet and I wouldn't even consider you!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

Mr. Freeze chuckled. "Your facial expressions are simple to read. I wasn't a CIA operative for nothing Officer Redfield. You're comparable to a book that's been read far too many times." Then he puts the phone away. "Please, by all means, prove me wrong. Starting right now."

Did he just issue a challenge to me?!

He really thinks I can't resist him?!

"If you really think you got me figured out, then you're wrong!" I grabbed my spoon and pushed it in my hot chocolate. "I'm going to stir this hot chocolate and completely ignore you! If I win, you drop the attitude and be freaking normal for once! If you win…"

"…then you allow me to drive you home every night. You will cease taking the bus, period."

What?!

Is he for real?!

"What kind of a deal is that?! I already drive with you in the freaking morning!"

"A deal is a deal Officer Redfield. I believe that I have a right to issue my own set of rules as well, for the sake of competition. If you can ignore me right now, I'll be more considerate during our partnership. In fact, it should last until tomorrow evening. I give you three chances. You fail each one, then everything goes in my favor."

I glared at my cup, then at him.

Again.

For the billionth time.

Fairness of competition my ass!

He lifted his cup and drank the rest of the coffee, giving me his infamous grin. "I would start if I were you. I would like to see how long you'll last before you break."

I stirred my hot chocolate, forcing myself not to stare at him again. "I don't back down from a challenge and I'm not backing down from you!"

That's when his grin widened. "Oh, but I know you won't Officer Redfield. That's the fun behind our little competition."

My grip tightened around the cup.

I was the one who said I wouldn't be caught dead having coffee with the coldest human being alive and yet here I am, in a late night cafe! I could have just walked off and ignore him, but no, I had to get in!

What the hell did I just get myself into?!

* * *

 **Rule #17** : _Why in the world did I accept this challenge?! You never challenge a man like Mr. Freeze!_

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

This chapter took a while but it's finished! And what's this? Claire's being challenged by Mr. Freeze? Uh-oh...that's definitely not a good sign. We all know how this will probably end, haha.

* * *

 **Translations**

* * *

If you are a native Japanese speaker, please let me know if any dialogue is off. I would really appreciate it.

 **(1)** "Yeah, well you won't get anything out of me babe so screw off along with your partner. Come to think of it, he looks familiar, like I've seen him on the news or something."

 **(2)** "I'm flattered that I look familiar."

 **(3)** "But that has nothing to do with the situation you're in, does it? I believe that Officer Redfield made it clear as to why we're here. We can always do this the hard way but I doubt you'll enjoy that very much."

* * *

 **(4)** Little throwback to Resident Evil.


	18. Chapter 18: Rumor Has It

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Eighteen:** Rumor Has It

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which I knew this challenge was anything but easy and I just heard about a rumor about me and Mr. Freeze! And just to make matters worse, Vanessa implies that I may have a crush on him, just because my face, for some reason resembled a stop sign! Again! I'm just embarrassed, okay?! Embarrassed!"_

* * *

[ **Thursday** ]

* * *

I made a freaking pact with the devil.

Literally.

I should have known Mr. Freeze wasn't going to make this challenge easy.

I mean, this morning was a perfect example of what he was capable of.

As usual, I was greeted with a phone call that always seems to pick the right moment to occur. I knew it was him either way so it's not like I was questioning who the person was on the other end. As usual, he was trying to get on my nerves and succeeded in more ways than one.

Let's look at Exhibit A, for example.

" _Did you have pleasant dreams Officer Redfield? I do hope I didn't frighten you with our little challenge too much."_

Of course, I snapped at him and said that **a.** I wasn't frightened, and **b.** He was going down one way or another.

Come to think about it, I've been snapping a lot lately but when you're up against a manipulative sociopath, you have to lay down the law somehow, no matter how tall or intimidating he may seem.

You know what he did?

He gives me one of his cold laughs and said that he's never lost a challenge before and I'll fold eventually.

That freaking manipulative jerk!

His cockiness will be his downfall, I'll make sure of it!

Just to make matters worse, he opens the door for me to his car, knowing full well I was going to end up glaring at him! The challenge meant that I had to avoid eye contact as much as possible. But knowing Mr. Freeze, he tends to ignite my rage faster than a random firecracker.

Still, no matter how infuriating it was to deal with this man, I had to prove that it was possible to avoid the frozen Dracula gaze.

Thankfully there was no Ms. Schwartz in sight so I was in the clear. I've been dreading her presence ever since that near fatal altercation last week. This challenge, plus her prying would have made the situation awkward to the point where I'll beg for the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Oh, but he didn't just stop at the whole morning thing.

While we were in the office, he had the nerve to ask me for a pen!

Okay, you're probably wondering _'what's wrong with asking for a pen?'_ but it wasn't the whole asking thing that made the hairs on my back prickle.

It was the way he went about it.

It started with me typing away at my computer…

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

" _I require a pen, Officer Redfield."_

 _If I wasn't locked in this stupid challenge with Mr. Freeze, I wouldn't have even hesitated glaring at him in a heartbeat._

 _A tall, looming presence stood over my desk, ruining the peace and quiet I so desperately craved. I was in the middle of my fourth paragraph, seconds away from screaming, yanking my monitor from the various wires it was attached to and throwing it out the window._

 _Of course, Mr. Freeze wasn't making things any better. He was wearing his usual 'Agent Smith' suit, complete with a mustard colored tie. That expensive cologne was filling up my personal space, not to mention his aftershave._

 _Just great._

" _Don't you have a box of them somewhere on your desk or in your drawers instead of nagging me?!" I retorted, willing myself to just look at the screen._

' _Do not engage the enemy.' Inner voice warns me. 'Whatever you do,_ ** _DO NOT_** _engage the enemy! Don't you dare give him the satisfaction of making you stare at him! You've been doing well so far!'_

" _What the hell do I look like, the mistress and keeper of blue and black ink?! Go bug someone else!"_

 _With the way I'm staring, it seems like I'm just yapping to my computer screen._

" _But your desk is closer," Mr. Freeze said, and I could have sworn people were staring in our direction. I mean, its bad enough that everyone knows he's my partner but for him to be near my desk?!_

 _He never comes near my desk!_

 _He's either on his phone, out of the office or just sitting there, ignoring me, which is like a breath of fresh air! And now he's here, ready to cause hell on earth._

 _What a brilliant life I have right now!_

 _I'm sure everyone wants my life!_

 _This is the phenomenon known as **'Livin' La Vida Loca'.** _

_When my life is becoming this insane, it's only a miracle that I'm not confined to the crazy jacket, frothing at the mouth like a cannibal on steroids._

" _Why should I neglect to ask my dear partner first? Surely you have one to spare?"_

 _Okay, I wasn't born yesterday!_

 _He's trying to force me to look at him, but Claire Redfield is not going down today or any other day! Oh no, no, no, he is not pulling that crap on me!_

 _He has some nerve!_

" _I'm busy! And stop talking like that! I am not your 'dear partner'! You're being creepy, as usual!"_

 _"Creepy?" Mr. Freeze cocked his head sideways. "How is asking for a pen creepy? And how else was I supposed to address you? I highly doubt that you are that busy to not take five minutes of your time to lend me a pen."_

" _I know what you're trying to do…" I hissed. "…but it's not going to work on me! I've been avoiding you so far so call off this stupid challenge while you still have the chance!"_

 _How can he act so freaking innocent and yet conniving at the same time?!_

 _The smoothness in his tone was disgusting. "I have no idea what you're referring to. I asked for a pen and you decided to act hostile for no reason at all. It must be another case of waking up on the wrong side of the bed. That's been happening a lot lately, hasn't it?"_

" _Oh sure, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed! No, it couldn't be that you're driving me insane! Absolutely not! You're my perfect little partner who can never go wrong!"_

" _I'm not driving you insane Officer Redfield. I've been perfectly civil ever since we met. I would say that your interpretation of me is a delusional ploy to reassure yourself that you're clearly sane. As I've mentioned before, perhaps you woke up on the wrong side of the bed."_

" _I'll show you a wrong side of the bed if you don't go away!"_

" _Are you threatening me again? Your threats never work Officer Redfield. Either your memory short circuits or you choose to ignore that simple fact."_

 _My nails dug into the wood of my desk._

 _ **That…that…THAT FREAKING…!**_

 _I couldn't even fathom a rebuttal right now. Even my inner voice was transformed into mush. If I answered right now, my words will be incoherent, with the likeness of a rampaging cave woman._

 _Instead, I took the deepest breath I could possibly muster in a situation like this._

" _Officer Wesker…" I began in the sweetest voice (and I cringed at saying his name, even though we agreed that he was Mr. Freeze the minute we met. But unfortunately, sacrifices have to be made) I was known for when I was trying to keep my inner Redfield rage in check. "…I'm sure I'm not the only one you could ask for a pen. Now please, withdraw from my desk, otherwise I may be forced to do or say something I'll regret. And you really wouldn't like when I'm angry."_

 _I waited, expecting Mr. Freeze to back off, but then again this was like asking a lion to step away from its prey._

 _Nope, he doesn't heed my warning._

 _He just makes himself home at the edge of my desk, complete with that fake smile he's 'oh so famous' for. And the desk made a small creak under his weight, just for good measure._

 _My eyes travel to my L.A.P.D bottle that's filled with cold, refreshing water. I got it from some local charity event where our department was involved._

 _Every day, I needed my aqua pronto when it came to menial office work. Los Angeles heat was brutal and showed little mercy to even an officer of the law. Thankfully there were only a few times where the air conditioners broke down but when they did, the office turned into the Sahara Desert._

 _And that handy bottle of water was about to be dumped on Mr. Freeze if he didn't move, Chief Randall be damned._

" _I will disarm you if you attempt that." His gaze wandered over to my bottle as well, as if he knew what I was planning in an instant. "And trust me, it will be disastrous on your part. Imagine the embarrassment that will yield. I wouldn't mind handcuffing you to this chair. In fact, it would be the most amusing part of the day. Also, your retort is as harmless as a feather."_

 _His voice was low, and downright husky but I heard every syllable._

 _My jaw was about to hit the floor again._

 _Did he just try to seduce me with his voice?!_

 _Our eyes met the minute we both stared at the bottle._

 _My dark eyes versus the frozen depths of Antarctica._

 _Then, I realized the biggest mistake of the century._

 _Oh no…_

 _Oh no…_

 _This isn't happening…!_

 _This can't be happening!_

 _I was just...I mean, I shouldn't have looked! How is this even possible?!_

 _GAH!_

 _GAAAAAGGH!_

 _NOOOOOOOOOO!_

 _My face transformed into pure, unadulterated terror, as a familiar heat rose to my cheeks._

 _I am not blushing! I am not blushing! I am in control of my emotions! Breathe Claire, don't panic! Don't let him get away with this!_

' _WHY DID YOU EVEN STARE AT THE BOTTLE?!' Inner voice is just freaking out at this point. 'THAT'S WHAT HE WANTED! DAMNIT CLAIRE, WHAT DID YOU DO?!'_

" _Predictable, as always." Mr. Freeze hummed, and rose from my desk. "On second thought, I might not need that pen Officer Redfield. I just wanted to test your resolve and you failed miserably, as expected. But don't worry, you have the rest of the evening to continue trying."_

 _And just like that, he was gone, back to his corner of the room and I could have sworn I heard his laugh once more._

 _I didn't even have it in me to scream._

* * *

[ **Present** ]

* * *

And now I'm staring at my sandwich in misery, wondering how in the world I fell for that 'I need a pen' trap.

That cheating psychopath!

I can't even get an edge in him with a simple challenge! Not staring at him should have been a piece of cake!

I wanted to curl up on a ball in the farthest corner of the lunchroom and wish the day away.

You know, maybe I should just count my lucky stars that Vanessa and Lydia were on patrol and wasn't available to drive me insane over that incident. Then again, Mr. Freeze would have murdered their careers them on the spot if they tried to pull anything stupid.

"My life…is ruined…" I groaned, smacking my head against the unopened tuna casserole hero.

"Yea, it might be…" a voice chimes in, belonging to Vanessa.

Just freaking great…could things get any worse?!

My head rose, only to see Vanessa and Lydia standing there in front of the table with trays in their hands.

The only response they got out of me that time was a low, rumbling growl.

Vanessa raised her hands in defense. "Whoa, down girl! We just wanted to sit and eat with you, if that's okay...I mean we can always— "

"Whatever you two are planning, it's not going to work okay!" I cut her off. "So go scheme somewhere else! I'm not in the mood right now!"

"We're not scheming anything!" Lydia insisted. "Whatever you have with Officer Wesker, it's between you guys okay? I'm sure you'll be able to work it out somehow! "

My eyes narrowed. "Work what out?! What in the world made you two think we have something to work out?! What are you even talking about?"

"Okay, okay, calm down! Look, we didn't come here to tease you or anything, honestly! We just um…well actually…"

I just stared at Lydia.

Whenever it comes down to her or Vanessa using the word 'um', something is usually amiss. There was a disturbance in the force. I mean, there was already a disturbance in the force but with these two standing there, it was bound to worsen.

"Um what?" I demanded. "What's this 'um' you're referring to?"

Lydia and Vanessa exchanged glances. In seconds, they rushed for the two seats available and sat down with their trays.

Okay, now what the hell is going on here?

The looks on their face indicated that something was up.

I…really need to stop jinxing myself.

Whenever I guarantee nothing's going to happen, something happens! Of all the freaking luck in the world, I had to end up with a nutcase partner and two uniformed bundles of trouble!

"Err… the reason why Lydia mentioned that was...um…remember that time when we were teasing you about rumors flying around about you and the new guy?" Vanessa asked, and I was beginning to dread the words coming out of her mouth.

I drank from the bottle of water I had with my lunch. "Yeah, and it was pretty stupid, but knowing you two, it was expected. Now what of it?"

"Well, um…there's rumors floating around, like big time." Lydia fills in. "Someone saw you and Officer Wesker together in the cafeteria and um…must have seen him carrying you up the stairs to the lounge room or something...um I won't even ask what that was about. But anyway, one thing led to another and…well there's this thing about you guys...that you might be... um…well possibly romantically involved."

If only there was a way to see steam pouring out of my ears right now. The water spewed out of my mouth faster than a bullet as I slammed the bottle on the table.

" **WHAAAAAAAAT?!"**

My screeching outburst caught the attention of the other uniformed officers/detectives taking their lunch in the cafeteria but at this point I didn't give a damn.

I must have coughed up a lung, as I struggled to compose myself. "Who…who saw that?! What the hell were they thinking making that…that…connection?! I swear, if you two were involved in spreading that rumor…!"

"I swear Claire, we just overheard some uniformed guys cracking up about it when we came back to headquarters!" Vanessa rambled on. "He was like _'looks like Officer Redfield has a lovey dovey crush on Officer Wesker'_ or something like that. Then this other guy was like _'when's the church bells?_ ' I swear, it's all true! I'm not making anything up! We just came to give you a heads up because of how fast these things can spread!"

I just stared at Vanessa and Lydia.

This...this isn't happening.

Did that mean…well, the people in the office couldn't have possibly known about the rumor already and then they saw Mr. Freeze there by my desk right? I don't think they'll make some crazy theory up about us...oh no, I said us!

Oh no...

I've been saying ' _oh-no'_ a lot in my head lately, haven't I?

This was like a bad nightmare out of a horror movie.

This was even worse than that terrifying dream of Rebecca marrying Mr. Freeze and of that other creepy dream I had and I still haven't told you what it was about!

Who the hell were these guys?!

I was determined to get names and fast.

Also, did Mr. Freeze know about this?!

 _Just pray that he doesn't Claire!_ A _nd whatever you do, don't jinx yourself again!_

"Who are they?" I slammed both hands on the table. "Spill the beans right now! If they're implying I have a crush on that sociopathic ice pick, they're wrong! And…is that why you deliberately sent me to the cafeteria yesterday?! I swear on my aunt's cheesecake…if I find out that you two were involved in any way—"

"I swear to God we weren't involved!" Again Vanessa holds her hands up in defense. "You asked me where Officer Wesker was and I just told you!"

"Oh yeah, before or after making that snide remark about the honeymoon being over!" I shot back. "Now who's spreading the rumors? Talk!"

"Claire, I was only kidding about that! And I think it probably Ralph…or Derrick, I'm not really sure!""

Those two?!

I was pretty familiar with those names. I knew most of the uniformed guys in the L.A.P.D, as well as the women who directed traffic most of the day, namely Lydia and Vanessa. Gee, if you thought Vanessa and Lydia were trouble, these guys screamed _'trouble maker red alert'._ They played on the department's baseball team and was part of the L.A.P.D's **Street Crime Unit** ( _otherwise known as the SCU_ ). They had no problems flaunting their muscles over women, let alone causing rumors to fly.

If those two were behind this, I'm going to flay them alive!

"Um…Claire?"

I jumped at the sound of Lydia's voice. "What?!"

"Um…your face is looks like it's been through a fire. You don't um…I mean are you sure you don't have some…weird crush on Officer—"

"Don't you dare!" I was seconds away from leaping over the table and wrapping my fingers around her throat. "Don't you dare use that 'c' word or finish that sentence! We're just partners! He's a freaking partner I didn't ask for!"

"I don't know…" Lydia began. "…but you two looked like you were a couple in the lounge room—"

"Lydia!" I screeched.

"Why are you freaking out so much?" Vanessa pitched in, and I could have sworn that mischievous smirk was plastered on her face again. "If you don't have a crush on him, then it should be easy to prove the rumors wrong, right?"

"Why do I need to prove anything?!" I rose from my seat and grabbed my sandwich and water bottle, as the dreaded Redfield glare was focused on them. "I said I don't have a crush on him! That's unprofessional and…and just plain wrong! He's too old for me anyway!"

"Oh really?" Vanessa's smirk widened. "Your face is still red you know. Redder than a lollipop anyway."

"Because I'm pissed off!" I snapped. "Pissed off that anyone would think I have some lovey dovey crush on that...that snow cone!"

And with that, I hightailed out of the cafeteria but not before hearing Vanessa saying that I'm probably in denial and she saw nothing wrong with a man whose voice can melt butter and was extremely attractive for his age. I could have marched back to that table and go into cat-fight mode, but I'll let that one slide, for now.

There's no way in hell I have some weirdo crush on Mr. Freeze!

I have to squash this rumor mill, pronto!

* * *

 **Rule #18** : _Don't ever let a rumor mill get out of hand!_

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

I really like Claire, I swear! It's just that...well she kinda goes through hell in this story before there's a rainbow on the other side, lol. And seriously, Vanessa and Lydia are trouble to the nth degree! Maybe they should pray Mr. Freeze doesn't catch wind about this whole thing...

Thanks so much for the reviews so far, I appreciate it! I am seriously considering another Claire/Wesker story but we'll see if it'll just be a one shot or not!

Title is based on the ' _Rumor Has It_ ' song by Adele.


	19. Chapter 19: The Accidental Kiss

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Nineteen** : The Accidental Kiss

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which I confronted the idiots trying to spread false rumors about me and Mr. Freeze, only to find out they're not the ones involved in it! And how in the world did this whole thing with Mr. Freeze happen?! One thing led to another and…we somehow end up arguing again! How was I supposed to know he was in a freaking locker room and overheard me talking in the first place?! And how in the world did I trip over that bench?! Great, I have cooties now!"_

* * *

[ **Time** : 1:30 p.m]

* * *

"You two!"

Okay, marching right into the men's locker room wasn't one of my best ideas either, but I found out that Ralph and Derrick were downstairs after a round of a workout session. Because officer work _(you know,_ _the low level grunt work and the high level stuff)_ was so demanding, we had gyms downstairs for males and females. I found myself down here sometimes when I just want to destroy a punching bag or two. It relieved my stress and allowed me to think about my career, my brother _(if he did something extremely stupid to irritate me or just in general)_ and Kennedy _(when he was still my partner)._ As long as there wasn't something that required immediate attention, this was your best escape from Chief Randall and paperwork.

Well, after you finished the paperwork anyway.

I wasn't a big fan of stress.

Being an officer that was close to detective status had its moments where screaming like a Banshee from paperwork and cases was normal.

Anyway, locker rooms were the same prevalent colors in the building – black and white. The lockers were black, the walls painted white. I might have been in the fifth or sixth row the minute I confronted Ralph and Derrick...I didn't really know and neither did I care.

All I cared about was smashing this silly rumor!

They were standing in a group with three other guys I didn't recognize, laughing and talking about something that I'm sure involved me because my name was mentioned.

I must be the laughing stock of the whole department now!

My eyes narrowed the minute they acknowledged my presence. I was standing there, hands on my hips, as I waited for their _'buddies'_ to flee in terror. My wish came true as the regular average Joes gave Ralph and Derrick nervous, lopsided grins and took off.

Wow, I guess my intimidating Redfield stare down still works after all.

Doesn't work on Mr. Freeze but at least it works on everyone else!

Ah-ha!

Come to think of it, I don't really see him during lunch. Maybe he spends his time arguing with his ex-wife. Maybe he spends that time coming up with ways to torture me. From what I gathered last night regarding the ex-wife thing, there might have been some custody battle going on. Then again, I could only base it on that conversation between them, you know before he decided to corner me and place me in the most awkward position ever?

And then a perfectly timed headbutt was ineffective! Oh sure, it knocks me out but he's fine! Everything, from since we met works in his favor! Right now, I am formulating a plan of revenge. I will make him squirm and beg for mercy, one way or another!

It's just um…going to take some time.

Ralph and Derrick were dressed in their uniforms as well as their buddies who ran off. The stench of ivory soap and aftershave lingered in the air, which wasn't surprising, since there were showers down here as well.

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?!"

Ralph and Derrick looked at each other.

Maybe I should introduce them, since they're still new on the force, at least until next year.

They were twin brothers, hailing from the mother country known as Russia. I didn't know much about them, except that Derrick was probably the older one because of the way he speaks to Ralph. If I had to take a guess, they were in their early thirties and were just starting their careers in the L.A.P.D, after passing the hell known as the police exam and training. That reminds me, Mr. Freeze was a former trainer in the academy in Washington, which is why he's always citing things from the _'academy'_.

So yeah, that makes him more of a douche than he is already. I could just imagine the fear on the cadet's faces when dealing with him. Something about _'deers caught in headlights'_ comes to mind.

Terrifying people must be one of his hobbies.

These guys were cute, with light olive colored eyes, short dark hair, and a boyish undertone that made them look younger than they were. I didn't know much about them, aside from this piece of information but if they were spreading nonsense about me and Mr. Freeze, they were facing every inch of my wrath.

"Don't stare at each other like you don't know anything!" I pointed a shaky finger at them. "Who's spreading the rumors about me and my partner?!"

Oh God, I said _'partner'_.

I just called Mr. Freeze my partner.

Someone prepare another barf bag!

"Rumors?" Derrick Molotov questioned, giving me a strange look after turning away from his brother. You'll enjoy the fact that he lays the Russian accent really thick, while pretending that he has no clue as to why I'm here or what I'm talking about.

"What rumors?" Ralph rubs the back of his head, and I can tell that he's sweating bullets. "We have no idea what you're talking about—"

"Oh don't give me that crap!" I glowered at Ralph, cutting him off. "Who's the one saying that I have some crush on Officer Wesker?! Which one of you is spreading the rumor?!"

Oh God, this is the second time I used his name instead of Mr. Freeze!

The apocalypse is at hand!

"...You must be Officer Claire…Redfield, no?" Derrick responds, with a nervous laugh. "To be honest…we know nothing about the rumors. We just heard some guys talking and…it just started going around the locker room."

"Yeah, we had nothing to do with it!" Ralph pitches in, lowering his hand. "So whoever told you that—"

"Lydia and Vanessa specifically pointed you guys out! I'm sure you're familiar with them, right?"

"They're lying!" Derrick insisted. "We really had nothing to do with it—"

My eyes narrowed to a squint. "You guys really expect me to believe that? Somebody is spreading crap around and when I find out, they're going to be in serious trouble! So either you guys come clean or I start digging! And if it comes back to you two, you're going to wish you were delivering pizzas instead of joining the L.A.P.D! I don't have a crush on that man! I would have to be out of my ever loving mind! He's egotistical, snobbish, and…a freaking psycho! Having a crush on him would be like drinking a gallon of bleach!"

"You…must really hate him…" Derrick began, giving Ralph an uneasy glance.

"…a lot." Ralph added, returning the gesture.

I gritted my teeth. "Well gee, thanks for stating the obvious! Because with what I'm hearing, everyone keeps assuming that I have some lovey dove obsession with him! You better tell your buddies that I'm on to them and if I hear another stupid rumor, I'm coming after them! Oh, better yet, I'll come after you two first—"

"Look, trust me, we wouldn't dream of being involved in a rumor." Derrick gives me another nervous laugh, and I can see that he's looking right past my direction, as if someone was standing right behind me. "We…just hear this stuff…ya' know? Then it spreads around…you know how it is…!"

Um...why isn't he staring at me?!

Who in the world could he possibly be looking at?!

"We...should get going." Ralph nudges his brother, while staring right past me as well. "I guess we'll see you…around…eh?"

"Wait, where the hell are you two going?!" I took a step forward the minute Ralph and Derrick backed away. "I'm not finished!"

"We…have things to do!" Derrick said, giving me a mock salute. "You know, duty calls! We have to get back on the streets eh?"

"Oh yeah, definitely!" Ralph nods quickly.

In seconds, they were gone before I had a chance to stop them. "Hey! I said we're not finished…! Get back here! You two aren't getting away that easily—!"

"And what, may I ask were you discussing that involves my name, Officer Redfield?"

"Eek!"

I swear, I didn't mean for that sound to even come out!

Wait a minute…no wonder those two looked scared!

The hairs of my back stood up to the point I felt like the stiffest human being on the planet. I was frozen in mannequin mode, unable to twitch a freaking muscle.

 _Oh no…_

Please tell me it's not who I think it is.

There was no use denying it.

That smooth, baritone voice was unmistakable.

Cue the fact that Derrick and Ralph running the opposite direction like headless chickens. Ever since the dark thundercloud from Washington fell over the L.A.P.D, the guys working here turned into quivering piles of mush and by thundercloud, I mean the man standing behind me.

' _Well, you squeaked like a freaking mouse, so you knew who it was!'_ My inner voice is going crazy and setting off alarms left and right. _'Whatever you do, don't turn around! DON'T TURN AROUND! JUST PRETEND NOTHING IS GOING ON! ACT FREAKING NORMAL CLAIRE, ACT NORMAL! HE HEARD NOTHING!'_

That's when I scowled at my inner voice.

Why the hell am I even acting like this?!

It's not like I'm scared of Mr. Freeze! And you know what? I don't have to continue with this stupid challenge! He can take that challenge and shove it where the sun doesn't shine because first of all, he's trying to distract me on purpose and second of all, it was just stupid to begin with!

There, I said it again!

It was a stupid challenge I shouldn't have agreed to!

I turned around, ready to let it rip on Mr. Freeze.

…Only to realize that turning around was a huge mistake. In fact, it was the biggest mistake in the history of my career in the L.A.P.D.

He was standing there, arms folded but that wasn't the mistake in itself.

He was freaking shirtless.

 **FREAKING SHIRTLESS.**

Let that sink in for a minute.

My nemesis, the man that has terrorized my life since week one was showing off perhaps the most eye-turning body structure that would make a bodybuilder jealous with envy.

My poor Redfield senses were bouncing off the Richter Scale.

 _Okay, so he's shirtless! So what?! Not like I've never seen a guy shirtless before!_

Of course I'm trying to not make a big deal out of it, but inner voice is going _'holy crap, holy crap, holy crap'_ at this point.

Um…have you guys ever seen those male Greek statues, where they're so chiseled that you're trying to imagine a man looking like that in real life? Well, Mr. Freeze was comparable to a Greek statue.

No, it was something out of a men's fitness magazine!

That's when my mouth started gapping like a fish out of water.

 _Snap out of it Claire! You snap out of it right now!_

But my pep talk did nothing.

I'm still staring.

 _STOP STARING CLAIRE!_

Mr. Freeze wasn't even fazed by my _'fish out of water_ ' moment. _"_ As usual, you've proven yourself to be an interesting case. It's amusing to hear crush and bleach in the same rhetorical speech you made previously. I did, after all stated that you wouldn't last during our little challenge. Also, you seem to have a case of a chatterbox, but I'm sure that's part of your _'hidden'_ qualities."

I blinked and struggled to get out of the hypnotic state that unholy body had me in.

"I have…no idea what you're talking about…!"

I'm stuttering…I can't believe I'm freaking stuttering right in front him!

 _Get it together Claire! There's no reason why you be acting like this to begin with!_

Mr. Freeze's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Lies don't suit you, Officer Redfield, especially when you're stuttering like an idiot in my presence."

"What makes you think…I was even talking about you?! I could have been talking about someone else!" My eyes goes into frantic mode, searching for a way to get out of the locker room while I still can.

And yes, I heard that insult but right now I was in panic mode. Maybe I should give you an explanation of what my panic mode is. You see, you have my **SRM** _(Super Redfield Mode)_ , and my **PRM** _(Panic Redfield Mode)_. Right now, I was in **PRM** and that naked torso wasn't doing me any favors whatsoever.

I swear, if we're caught like this...I will never be the same! Then if Chief Randall finds out, it'll make things ten times worse for me!

How did I find myself in this situation again?!

How was I supposed to know he was down here?!

"How appropriate of you to be in the men's locker room, talking about someone who couldn't have possibly been me. I must be going senile for my age."

"Because I was…!"

"Sarcasm isn't your forte, is it?"

"What sarcasm?!"

"How foolish do you think I am to believe your rants didn't involve me? Do you really think I would ignore your conversation with those two?"

The color drained from my face.

 _Oh no..._

 _He didn't hear that!_

"It's not what...it looks like! It um...wasn't about you!"

"Then what was it about? Again, sarcasm flies over your head."

"Okay, you know what?! You believe whatever you want to believe!" The infamous Redfield temper was back with a vengeance the minute I balled my hands into fists. "And screw your stupid challenge! You cheated and annoyed me upstairs on purpose so I could look at you!"

"How did I cheat when I was the one who issued the challenge?"

"You…you tried to distract me! Asking me for a pen, sitting on my desk! You masochist!"

"The point of the challenge was not to be distracted. You, on the other hand failed, as I anticipated. That means that I win by default. And you're trying to change the subject. How cute."

That cold smirk was going to be the end of me!

"Why the hell do you want me driving in your car after work so badly?! I was using bus transportation just fine!"

"Because your tardiness in the morning will be ineffective and raise questions from Chief Randall."

I snorted. "Do you really expect me to believe that? You're always accusing me of having this fling for you and yet you've been driving me nuts! I'm starting to think you like me."

I could have sworn I saw the color on Mr. Freeze's face change the minute I said that, but it was only there for a second before he became Mr. Monotone again. "And why would you think I have any interest in you Officer Redfield? I simply stated that coming to work late is counterproductive."

"Uh-huh! Just like how you wanted me to wear that skimpy outfit?! You're full of it!"

"It was for an investigation that was fruitless either way. Why do you insist on bringing that up?"

"Because I'm trying to figure out how your mind works! You just love torturing me, don't you?"

"Psychoanalyses only works if you have experience in that field, Officer Redfield. And I don't want your tardiness jeopardizing our partnership, which is why I insisted on taking you home. It has nothing to do with my _'feelings_ ' for you. As for torture, you bring that on yourself quite often."

My hands flew up in the air. "You don't even know how the buses work around here!"

 **I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I'M STILL HERE ARGUING WITH HIM!**

Our arguments either end up with me pulling at my hair or gibberish that doesn't even resemble words anymore. The last argument we had, I must have ranted like a crazed person, threw my hands up in the air and snarled.

He was amused by the whole thing and said that he couldn't figure out if I was speaking English or a new, alien tongue that had yet to be discovered and I would be the first test subject to be studied.

Of course he has to have the last word for everything!

 _Everything!_

"Then please enlighten me because I certainly know more about Los Angeles than you think."

"Go put a shirt on and quit arguing with me!"

"Since when do you order me around?"

Okay, that's it!

"Whatever okay?!" I snapped. "I'm leaving!"

I marched forward, seconds away from pushing my way through, until the impossible happened.

Being clumsy wasn't my style.

It wasn't in my blood, but when it came to Chris, he tripped over everything, from chairs to feet. It was a miracle at this point that he was still alive. The last time he tripped over something, it was after his mad dash for the door when Jill found out that he cheated on her.

She ran after him with a knife by the way.

 _ **'I'M GOING TO MURDER HIM!'** Jill screams as me, Barry, Rebecca, and Sherry chases after her while Chris squeals like a little girl on helium, playing merry-go-round in the living room._

That's why cheating is a no-no in the law book of relationships.

But right now, we're not talking about my brother.

Right now, we're talking about how in the world I managed to trip over the metal piece of a long wooden bench that was drilled to the concrete floor.

 **"GAAAAAH!"**

I toppled over, flailing my arms to break my fall. Somehow, Mr. Freeze grabs me by the waist before I landed on my face. It must have been a reflexes thing because he could have just let me fall either way.

And...that's when my lips somehow ended up on his lips.

And I'm pressed against that rock hard chest.

My eyes widened to the size of flying saucers as a muffled squeak came out of my mouth.

 _Oh no..._

What just happened?!

* * *

 **Rule #19** : _Don't ever trip over a bench in the locker room! Better yet, don't ever be in the men's locker room!_

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

So um…accidental kiss? Heh, heh, I'm probably going to get mauled for this, especially since its one of those deadly cliffhangers. Don't worry, another update's coming! This is my gift for Memorial Day weekend so have fun!

Also, who wants me to do a soundtrack for this story? I have plenty of songs that fits nicely. Let me know!

A reviewer implied that its possible that Mr. Freeze likes Claire, otherwise he wouldn't subject her to the bet unless he had ulterior motives. I will definitely give a hint and say it's a combination of both. He's messing with her to see how long she can last as his partner. He pokes at her temper because he enjoys the way she reacts to him.

This little accident is just a taste of the inevitable .


	20. Chapter 20: Cops and Robbers

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty** : Cops and Robbers

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which I have Mr. Freeze cooties, a hostage situation arises, and there's an incoming showdown between Mr. Freeze and our resident S.W.A.T team leader. Well, I guess it was kind of like a showdown but I learned a valuable lesson today – Mr. Freeze wasn't someone to mess with when it came to hostages and bank heists. Also, did he just tried to defend me...?"_

* * *

Now I've seen some hilariously idiotic romance flicks.

Some of them will have you shaking your head, wondering how **Guy A** managed to get with **Gal B** in the first place because they're complete opposites. Others will have you smacking your head by the time the movie ends.

Why am I mentioning this?

Well, for one thing, my nemesis has his hand around my waist, I'm up against that six pack made out of concrete, and my lips are pressed against his. And it wasn't just a one minute kiss…oh no, that moment lasted a good five minutes before terror washed over my face.

It was almost as if I didn't want to let go and he wasn't exactly pushing me away either.

Inner voice is going completely haywire right now.

 _WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING CLAIRE?!_

This, my friends is what we call a _'scandalous, accidental make out session that shouldn't have occurred'_ situation.

Why scandalous?

Oh…I don't know…maybe because it shouldn't be happening in the first place! How could I be that stupid as to trip over that bench?! I should have ran the opposite direction!

And this is just wrong!

The law of physics just turned on its head, leaving me with enough cooties to last an entire week.

Okay, maybe the cooties part is childish but I am still freaking out at this point.

"Mmmm!" I pushed away from him and struggled to regain my balance. Cue the sputtering, the gagging, more sputtering, wiping my mouth with the sleeve of my jacket and looking like I was about to puke whatever I ate for breakfast this morning.

I mean, its bad enough that someone saw Mr. Freeze carry me up the stairs after trying the fatal headbutt of doom but to see my lips against his, it was bound to cause a scandal in the department!

Someone could be around the corner, spying on us! I don't even trust Lydia or Vanessa, let alone those two cowards who ran out of the locker room!

"How did that…how did this happen?!" I stared at him, with shock written all over my face. Mr. Freeze looked just as shocked _(he has human emotions?_!), complete with a slight widening of his eyes. "That shouldn't have happened!"

' _His breath was minty flavored though..._ ' Inner voice teases, which freaked me out even more.

 _That's just wrong! Bad Claire, bad Claire! Bad inner voice! You were ogling at his body and now you're ogling at his breath?! Are you insane?!_

"Well…that was…unexpected…" He ran a nervous hand along the folds of his hair. You know, the gel-tastic blond hair that was never, ever out of place.

How many bottles does he use anyway?

"Of course it was!" I yelled. "Its not like its something that normally happens! Oh gee, I happened to have some kissing session with the man that's been making my life hell for a week!"

"You tripped over the bench…when you should have gone the other direction..." Even he sounded a bit out of it. As much as this was treading on a hallmark moment, ignoring the seriousness of that kiss was anything but a hallmark moment.

My eyes widened. "...But that... doesn't explain why your lips were pressed against mine! You planned this, didn't you?! You knew this was going to happen!"

Mr. Freeze recovers from his initial shock and scowled while he looks down at me. "How should I explain what happened when your clumsiness caused it? And no, I didn't plan for your lips to land on mine. You should have watched your step, but then again, I could have allowed you to fall flat on your face. That would have been equally as amusing, aside from your flapping and incoherent screeching."

Incoherent screeching?!

How the hell did he expect I would react?!

It's also amazing how his expressions change faster than my brother flipping through cable channels. I'm sure he's going to play off this whole incident like he usually does!

Um, hello…we just bloody kissed and now your freaking cologne is all over me! The stench sunk right into my clothes!

Ugh, how did I end up kissing him?!

How?!

I need to scrub my lips, then I have to soak myself with every known bath product on the planet!

And now I'm using my British inner monologue again!

"Amusement?!" Oh no, he did not just say that! "Why would you even draw amusement from that?! You seriously wanted to see my brains splattered on a concrete ground?! And I didn't mean to trip over the bench and into your slimy grip! Now I have your freaking cooties! I'll have to scrub them off for a week! And I wasn't flapping or screeching! I was trying to break my fall!"

"Cooties." Mr. Freeze repeated.

"Yes, cooties! I don't want your cooties on me! You should know what they are! Little parasites with the full intent of torture and annoyances!"

"There is no such thing as cooties, Officer Redfield. It's a childish insult reserved for the playground. If you're referring to germs, then I find it highly impossible to catch them from me." He doesn't hesitate sounding like geek just to make me look stupid, as usual.

"No it's not!" I shot back. "Not where you're concerned! You touching me equals germs! I don't want you rubbing off on me!"

"Your idiocy never fails to amaze me." Mr. Freeze shakes his head. "I'm sorry, I must have missed the part where we're in elementary school and not a police department. Very well, if you are considering scrubbing my _'cooties'_ away, I suggest disinfectant. That way, your treatment will go considerably well."

With that, he turns away and leaves me standing there.

"And for the record, at least I know the flavor of your lip palm." He drawls, adding to the awkwardness that was already there in the first place. "Ah, yes it was pineapple flavored. I would consider throwing that away too if you're so concerned about germs. I can now see why you failed Biology in high school."

I just gapped at his retreating back.

That…man!

How did he know about…oh, right. The whole _'I know about you_ ' thing.

He wasn't wrong about me failing Biology once in high school but I was a freshman and was just starting out! And that class was boring! That's why I wasn't big on becoming a doctor or a physicist! Or those chemical geeks that like to mix things together!

"I was a freshman!" I marched after him. "That was a cheap shot and you know it!"

"No, that was me pointing out why your worry over 'cooties' is nothing more than childish fodder. And I would say that you enjoyed every minute of our interaction, which would explain the bright red color I saw on your face."

"…What?!" He did not just say that! "How dare you!"

"How dare I? That's refreshing, coming from you, that is."

"You were shocked too! Don't put this all on me!"

"…"

Did I just render Mr. Freeze speechless?

Oh my God, I think I just broke the machine.

I continued on with my assault. "I like how you're acting like this whole incident isn't a big deal! How do you…again…how do you do these things?! That still wasn't supposed to happen! If you think I'm thanking you for even breaking my fall, you're out of your mind! And would you stop commenting on my _'intelligence'_?! It's unnecessary and really annoying! We need to discuss what happened back there!"

Come to think of it, Mr. Freeze smelled like Irish Spring soap and that expensive cologne, plus he was wearing the black pants to his suit and the shoes that were more polished than a marble floor, which would explain why he overheard me chewing out Ralph and Derrick. He was probably was getting dressed on the other side and overheard everything!

Unfortunately for me, Mr. Freeze's silence lasted only for a minute before he stopped, turned around, only to look at me. I skidded to a halt, and was close to running headlong into his back.

"…Any grown woman who comments on catching imaginary germs is bound to have some form of idiocy lurking around her. And why exactly are you following me? We have nothing to discuss."

Before I could snap at him with another retort, the intercom in the locker room blared the words that any cop on the force dreaded to hear.

* * *

 **[Code red, code red! I repeat, we have a code red!]**

* * *

We stared at each other.

Even he knew that our banter was nothing compared to what we just heard a minute ago.

* * *

[ **Time** : 2:00 p.m.]

* * *

I've been involved in hostage situations before, along with Kennedy. It usually involved some crazed lunatic, seconds away from turning his wife into kibbles, or a kidnapping. Because Kennedy and I were so compatible together, hostages were rescued alive in one piece. One woman even gave him her business card and said she'd like to thank him over lunch. She was cute, in a nerdy way but Kennedy declined, saying that he was just performing his duties as an officer of the law.

In the case of Mr. Freeze, I did read up on hostage situations he was in as well. I guess you can say that he did a little better in that department, considering that the worst suspects only got shot in the leg. His accuracy was also something to note because he was a sniper before joining the Washington Police Department _(otherwise known as the W.P.D)._

Good grief, the only thing missing from his profile was the freaking kitchen sink.

I'd like to think he was some kind of android, sent to our department in disguise but I couldn't assume that because he had a daughter and actually displayed more emotions than I gave him credit for, even if they lasted for a minute.

Then again, his daughter could be an android too and they're just mimicking human emotions…

Okay, maybe my overactive imagination is getting the best of me.

I had nothing against Mr. Freeze's daughter because even I had to admit she was adorable but her father was a different case. He has no problem toying with my emotions, twisting things to suit his agenda and using my words against me.

I don't even know why I find his manipulation alluring!

Wait...did I just think that?!

Just forget what I said okay?!

This whole kissing thing is bad enough!

I'm still creeped out over the cooties!

Mr. Freeze and I didn't get to discuss the whole kissing incident. Even I knew to let it slide, as I rushed upstairs, leaving him to finish dressing. It was a temporary truce, at least until we dealt with the sudden bank heist.

We stood there, along with uniformed cops and the S.W.A.T team, dressed in full protective gear _(bulletproof vests, weapons, the whole nine yards)_ outside in front of Main Street's first national bank. Police cars and black armored S.W.A.T vans were scattered everywhere, blocking off the streets in either direction, along with barricades. News reporters began showing up at the scene, covering the hostage situation while crowds were being held back, that way we didn't have a shootout on our hands.

It didn't take us long to get the whole rundown.

There were six guys in total, and at least five of them had been in prison before. The other guy didn't have a criminal record, which leads a curious person to wonder what possessed them to be involved in this whole mess in the first place. Then you do some more digging, only to find out they're related to one of the bad boys in the group.

Then we find out that they're part of an organized street gang known as the **P.O.S.Y.** I was very familiar with the gang because I busted most of their members and some of the more violent ones were incarcerated.

We were trying to get the rest of them off of the street but it was easier said than done. They were like cockroaches, spilling out whenever possible. They were involved in gang wars, drugs, and possibly a few other things at the top of my head.

Gee, I guess it must be a lovely day to rob a bank. With the warm sun, birds chirping and clear blue skies, the whole scene felt completely out of place.

Or, it's just another way to ruin my otherwise ' _fantastic'_ day.

That was sarcasm by the way.

My day was anything but fantastic.

It didn't take long for Mr. Freeze and I to reach the one in charge of the operation _(well, okay he passed right in front of me, causing me to narrow my eyes but I didn't say anything)_. Sergeant Wagner Solomon was no stranger to the L.A.P.D. The guy did everything by the book, led his S.W.A.T team according to the book and would probably die by the book if possible. He was your typical Caucasian male, with short sand colored hair that was graying from the edges and with eyes to match. He was around my height and was outfitted from head to toe in body armor. Well, armor that could fit him anyway because he was pushing three hundred.

He was barking orders to his men, until he saw us approaching him.

I'm pretty sure he swore under his breath, but I doubt Mr. Freeze cared. Me on the other hand, resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I guess you can say that Sergeant Solomon and I weren't the best of pals.

Trust me, if something doesn't make his reputation look good, he'll come up with ways to make the other person look bad.

" _She's reckless!"_ Was the last thing I heard when I saw him going back and forth with Chief Randall during a hostage crisis a few years ago. _"And your poster boy_ _Kennedy isn't any better! Sure the hostages are safe but anything could have gone wrong! That's why there's protocols in the first place!"_

Of course, he got reprimanded for that comment but from that day, he decided that he didn't like me at all, considering that no hostages has ever been killed under me and Kennedy's partnership and he was way out of line.

Like I said, this guy was a _'by the book'_ asshole.

It's a miracle that he still has his job. I would think that his reputation was the only thing that saved his ass either way.

"Oh, you two," he said, glancing at me, then Mr. Freeze. "I should have known—"

"What are we dealing with?" I asked, cutting him off. I really wasn't in the mood for his crap.

Solomon face hardened. "Fifteen hostages, including employees. If anything, I'd say this is probably nothing more than a publicity stunt with lives at stake. Now I expect everything to go by the book. I don't want your recklessness putting hostages at risk—"

"I'm not in the mood for your shit Solomon—"

"And I don't want you screwing this up—"

"Do you two intend to argue while there are hostages in a bank?" Mr. Freeze's artic tone was enough to break up the squabble between me and Solomon.

You know, you would think Solomon would keep his mouth shut and swallow that pride down his throat, but no...he had to ramble on.

At least he wasn't dealing with me now.

Right now, he was dealing with a man that was going to chew him up and spit him out like a forgotten burrito.

I wasn't sure if I should cheer on Mr. Freeze or just wish I was invisible and this day wasn't happening to begin with.

"You don't know her as well as I do," he says, glaring at Mr. Freeze. "So I suggest that you..."

"Suggest what?"

Mr. Freeze ends up in grumpy Solomon's face, staring down at him like he was a cockroach ready to get squashed in seconds. "...What do you suggest I do?"

"Erm..." I began, but even my awkward response didn't stop the whole stare down.

Yep, this was a really good day, with a hostage situation on top and with a man who hates my guts versus the coldest partner I have ever had in the L.A.P. D.

In case you haven't noticed, it's sarcasm.

Again.

With a cherry on top.

* * *

 **Rule#20** **:** _Mr. Freeze isn't someone to anger. In other words, don't anger frozen snow cones._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

What a crappy day Claire's been having. Accidentally kissing the enemy, denying her feelings, then he's trying to act chill but we all know that deep down inside he's out of it, and now a bank heist, where the squad leader of the S.W.A.T team hates her guts and has some nerve going up against Mr. Freeze.

Who knows what's going to happen next?!

I got this bank heist idea from this movie I saw parts of but can't remember the name of it. I have to bug my uncle about it.

I guess this is sort of another deadly cliffhanger?

Oh boy.


	21. Chapter 21: Cops and Robbers, Part II

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty-One:** Cops and Robbers, Part II

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which this hostage situation was a dud, Mr. Freeze and I had a showdown, and did he just defend me in Chief Randall's office?! I mean, he sounded pissed off before, right? But then again, he turns around and embarrasses me in front of the chief again! That freaking, insensitive prick!"_

* * *

The stare down between Solomon and Mr. Freeze suddenly turned into the Wild West.

At any moment, I expected some random, movie set guy to come out of nowhere and yell _'action_! _'_. Then it would probably be followed by a row of tumbleweeds.

The only thing missing was the ponchos, cowboy hats and the ruffled corset dress I'm supposed to wear as the damsel in distress.

Or was it the woman in between a random standoff?

Either way, the tension was thick enough to make cinnamon bun rolls.

Solomon was trying to stand his ground, but even I recognize wobbly knees when I see them. Height difference, beady dark eyes versus below freezing hues of blue-gray ( _sometimes Mr. Freeze's eyes look like a glacier, other times they look ethereal)..._ yeah this wasn't going to end pretty.

Mr. Freeze didn't twitch a muscle.

I couldn't help but feel sparks were going to fly at any minute.

"Well?" Mr. Freeze questioned, waiting for Solomon to open his fat mouth.

Solomon glanced at me, then Mr. Freeze before he sputtered. "...Look...you may have gotten away with terrorizing the folks in Washington and back at L.A.P.D headquarters, b-but you're barking up the wrong tree b-buddy! I suggest that you stand down—"

Mr. Freeze wasn't having it.

Slowly, he approached Solomon. I could have sworn I heard a squeak the minute he stumbled back until he hit the side of a random S.W.A.T van.

Talk about being trapped between a rock and a hard place.

"I care little of your opinions about me and neither do I care about your squabbles with Officer Redfield. I have no intentions of standing down, let alone deal with your incessant rambling. I'm surprised that your incompetence allowed you to keep your job this long. Now tell your men to back off. I will handle this myself. You two can stay here and continue bickering like children."

My eyes widened, as I rushed over. Don't get me wrong, I despise Solomon, but I didn't want him turned into the world's first human icecube. "Are you freaking insane…?! You'll get the hostages killed, let alone start a firefight!"

"You're not some one man army that can make a decision like that!" Solomon managed to yell. "If the hostages are harmed in any way—"

The glare from Mr. Freeze was enough to encase ten city blocks in ice. Mr. Squad Leader was llike a vegetable, frozen in time, gripping the side of the van like he was in the middle of a horror movie.

Instead of the Dentyne Ice I usually chewed, I swallowed a good, sizable portion of my spittle.

Solomon, for once in his life looked like he was about to piss himself on the spot.

As much as I enjoyed seeing our residential S.W.A.T leader freak out, Mr. Freeze's glare was also directed to me, which meant any enjoyment I got from this was short-lived.

Wait a minute, why is he glaring at me?! How was this my fault?! I wasn't even the one who started this!

"Um…but I'm sure you've been in a situation like this before!" I said with a nervous laugh. "Otherwise, you wouldn't ask to do something this dangerous…and risky! Right...?"

Not even a smirk emulated from his lips the minute I said that. Mr. Freeze meant complete and utter business, which meant my quips bounced off like a harmless rubber chicken. I mean, they usually did when he mocked me but this was beyond anything I've dealt with so far.

Okay…maybe I was a little scared.

* * *

 **Rule #21** **:** _Never piss Mr. Freeze off during a hostage situation. He will become your worst nightmare._

* * *

[ **Time:** 3:00 pm]

* * *

Solomon and I watched in complete awe, as the last gang member did a back flip in the air and landed on the white marble floor of the bank. We weren't alone, as the S.W.A.T guys stood around us, along with various uniformed officers. Even the crowd was watching the whole scenario unfold, along with a hungry crew of reporters.

"Holy shit!" One cameraman exclaimed, as he got the whole incident on tape.

"I don't even know what happened first!" Someone in the crowd shouted.

"Hot…like totally hot…" I heard some bimbo crow _(and I cringed at that)_.

I am not a big fan of the media and I've been on the news plenty of times where I had to yell _'no comment_ ' or give my usual speeches of _'once we have evidence, we'll share the detail_ s as _soon as possible'_. Press conferences is my freaking krptonite so don't even get me started on that. The last time I was involved with one, Kennedy had to rescue me before I lost my patience with a snobby reporter.

Well, it's not every day that you see a man like Mr. Freeze waltzing in the middle of a hostage situation, unfazed and pulling off moves that would make James Bond gasp in envy. One minute, he was talking to the leader, the next minute, the guy was holding a busted nose and screaming obscenities as blood gushed out. Hostages were freaking out but thankfully no one was hurt, aside from a woman passing out.

Keep in mind that these guys had weapons _(which is why the S.W.A.T team had to be called in and someone did trip the alarm)_ but the action in that bank happened so quickly that I didn't even know who threw the first punch.

Okay, I've seen Mr. Freeze fight before, but this was ridiculous. In a way, it made me feel a bit guilty about letting Solomon piss me off, but how would you feel if a man like him tried to humiliate you in front of your new partner?! I guess the reason why I felt that way was because Mr. Freeze assumed that Solomon and I would rather put innocent lives in jeopardy instead of setting aside our differences in the first place.

Which, once you think about it is why he went in on his own and against protocol.

Chief Randall…isn't going to be happy about this.

Nope, not at all.

Hurray for another fun time in the office, explaining why my partner went a-walled and took the law into his own hands!

How he wasn't even shot is a miracle in itself.

Commotion stirred, as the hostages rose from their huddled positions on the floor. Our troublemakers were sprawled out on the floor, guns lying next to them with masks on their face to _'conceal'_ their identities. Ironically, the masks were of random comic villains, with the leader being _The Joker_.

I rolled my eyes the minute I saw him.

How creative.

I can't believe my afternoon was ruined by my clumsiness and a fake bank robbery.

Can you hear the excitement in my voice right now?!

Mr. Freeze, dressed in the black bulletproof vest _(just like I was)_ walked out of the bank and pass the army of S.W.A.T officers that rushed in to secure the hostages.

I ran up to him, the minute I saw his stupid blond head among the chaos.

"You're insane!" I stared up at him in absolute horror. "Clinically insane! Are you trying to get us reprimanded?! Chief Randall is going to roast us!"

"Move," Mr. Freeze said, ignoring me.

I wasn't backing down. "I'm not letting you place my career in jeopardy!"

Of course, his eyes narrowed. "You do that on your own. Now get out of my way."

"No! We need to talk!"

"I will physically remove you myself if you don't get out of my way."

Oh no he didn't.

There was no way I was allowing him to leave just like that! Okay, the stare down and the subzero tone was nothing to scoff about but he wasn't getting his way!

"Right in front of reporters and cameramen?" My hands were on my hips. "I'm sure you don't want to cause a scene—"

"This isn't about causing a scene. Your incompetence could have gotten hostages killed."

"My incompetence?!" Now he was making my blood boil.

For the hundredth time.

"Look, enough with the big university words! I get that Solomon and I chose the wrong time to have a stupid argument but as much as I hate to admit it, he was right about protocol! People could have gotten killed or you could have gotten hurt—"

"As opposed to your idiotic rants in the space of fifteen minutes? Seeing you two ramble back and forth would have gotten them killed faster."

"He started it first!" Okay, I sounded like a five year old here but Solomon was the one who started the feud with me. I would have been contented with just working with him and his team to rescue the hostages but no, he had to start his crap.

Mr. Freeze just gave me one of his usual _'you're hopeless'_ looks. "And you couldn't help yourself despite how dangerous the situation was. It would have been easier to just ignore him. It's also good to know you truly care for my well-being. With your insults, I couldn't have possibly guessed."

Argh!

Why haven't I screamed yet?!

"Well, I couldn't have a partner riddled with bullets!" Why does this man have to make things so complicated?!

Why?!

"So you accepted the fact that we are partners." He has to rub it in like salt on a fresh cut. "I'm actually proud of you."

I scowled.

It's not like I can still wish on the stars and the unknown deity that Mr. Freeze could be assigned to someone else anymore.

It didn't work before and it's not working now so I might as well accept it.

 _Damnit._

"Gee, it's not like I can wish you away!" I ranted. "Not even Merlin can get rid of you so I don't really have a choice! I hope you know that we still have to face Chief Randall's wrath!"

"The hostages are safe, so I care little about Chief Randall's annoyance with my decision." Then, he raises a brow. "I would also suggest reducing your media intake. Wishing on a fictitious character to save you from my presence is absurd." And with that, Mr. Freeze pushes me to the side _(I nearly fell on my butt, thanks for asking!)_ and walks away, leaving me standing there.

"I was being sarcastic!" Good grief, this man wouldn't know sarcasm if it bit him in the shins!

It's official.

He's a freaking madman.

Shaking my head, I ran to catch up with him and into the waiting arms of reporters who managed to follow us all the way to his car.

"Would you freaking wait?!" I snapped, but my words fell on deaf ears.

Okay, I should say _'our'_ car but it makes us sound like a freaking couple.

And we're not a couple to begin with!

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

"And why didn't you stop him?!"

I just stared at Chief Randall.

I couldn't even blink.

He can't be serious.

Me, stop a tall, beefed up blond officer with the professionalism of a hitman from heading into dangerous territory to stop a bunch of thugs from killing hostages?

Hello, do I look like a superhero or something?!

I can't even stop him from insulting me every five minutes!

Either Chief Randall didn't have his coffee so he's not thinking straight or he thinks I'm supposed to be Mr. Freeze's babysitter. On top of that, Solomon was the one who caused this in the first place! If he didn't rant about protocols or started with me or Mr. Freeze, I wouldn't even be in this office!

I should note that Mr. Freeze is sitting across from me, his legs crossed, as we watched the chief pace back and forth.

Well, after the whole fiasco at the bank, we learned that **a.** our perps were idiots and **b.** they didn't have real weapons. In other words, they had plastic guns that looked real and were posing as bank robbers just to get attention. I guess that would explain Mr. Freeze took them down faster than John Wayne in a standoff.

So the hostages weren't in immediate danger.

Still, that didn't change the fact that the media was having a field day with this. Mr. Freeze's mug was plastered on the five o'clock news already, and our department would have to pull some strings to get things sorted out.

And Chief Randall wasn't happy, so it was only natural to take it out on poor little ol' me. I mean, let's examine what I've gone through so far.

* * *

 _ **1.** He thought I lacked discipline so that's why Mr. Freeze was my new partner. Then I find out he has a laundry basket filled with more extensive training and experience than Jason Bourne. Maybe he was a super soldier being experimented on by the government._

 _ **2.** He forced me to apologize for blurting out words that alluded to the file I shouldn't have looked at regarding Mr. Freeze's encounters with suspects in custody. You know, because caring for a suspect's wellbeing is so wrong!_

* * *

And now, I'm being freaking blamed for said partner's failure to follow protocol.

Why do these things keep happening to me?!

"Those hostages could have been killed! What if the suspects had real guns?! This could have been catastrophic!"

Before I could open my mouth _(and trust me, my words would have been anything but pleasant),_ Mr. Freeze spoke. "I acted on my own accord. Mr. Solomon made a difficult situation worse by trying to antagonize Officer Redfield. I did what needed to be done. Either way we were dealing with idiots."

"Antagonize?" Chief Randall echoed.

"Yes, antagonize. I am unfamiliar with their dealings in the past but jeopardizing lives was unnecessary and dangerous."

Um…who is this new man and what did he do with the one who intended to make my life a living hell?!

Did he just do what I think he just did a minute ago?!

Even Chief Randall was stunned.

Mr. Freeze just defended me again.

Sort of.

Holy crap.

"Well um...of course it was Solomon's fault sir!" I said, with as much bravado I could muster. "My partner wouldn't done something this reckless if he didn't start..."

"I will also note that Officer Redfield should practice restraint, that way she handle herself on the field. Her temper will cause unnecessary trouble, especially during the Sanchez investigation."

My jaw nearly dislocated from my face.

That insensitive prick!

I should have known that 'defense' was just a ploy to embarrass me in front of Chief Randall again!

* * *

 **Rule #22** : _Don't try and jump in a conversation when Mr. Freeze is involved. He won't hesitate to embarrass you._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

This chapter was meant to be around this length but the next chapter gets longer, especially when the investigation into the drug shipment heats up. What will happen between our fearless duo? Will Claire still keep her sanity? Will Mr. Freeze stop being cryptic? Things can go either direction!

I also ended up changing the titles of Chapter Twenty and this chapter. Character limits suck.


	22. Chapter 22: Mission Impossible!

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty-Two** : Mission Impossible!

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which Mr. Freeze continues to make my blood boil pass the volcano zone. And then I end up saying something that shouldn't have been said! And, to make matters worse, Rebecca's book signing is today! Which means I wasn't even successful in convincing her that having coffee with the devil was a bad idea and I need to drag Jill along for a top secret...err mission impossible assignment."_

* * *

"ARGH!"

My head collides with the keyboard the minute I sat down at my desk.

 **THIS MAN WAS IMPOSSIBLE!**

 _Impossible!_

How could he make that whole incident sound like it was my fault?! It's not like I intended to pick a fight with Solomon! _'Meh, further restraint!'_ he says! _'Meh, big university words'_ he says! The worst part of it was that Chief Randall agreed with him! I like how he pretends to defend me and then just shifts the blame!

What did I do to deserve that?!

I just want to jump on his back and slap him! Or you know, attempt to do it because of the height difference and he was too freaking strong! Or he's just an expert in everything! I don't know! But the urge to kill was rising.

It continued to rise past the boiling point.

"I do apologize, but if you were less chatty, I would have never mentioned you." He's near my desk again, using that fake sympathetic voice he's _**so**_ well known for.

I am not staring at him…I refuse to stare at him!

"…I hate you…" I mumbled into the keyboard.

He chuckles, just rub it in. "Oh, I'm fully aware of that Officer Redfield. It's not the first time you mentioned it. But you were so adamant about us being partners now."

 _Be one with the yen Claire, one with the yen!_

"And as your partner, I intend to keep you in check."

 _Yen power, yen power, yen power...say it with me Claire. Yeeen poweeeer…_

"Do keep in mind that the next time you allow your childish temper to get the best of you, I will suggest disciplinary action."

 _Okay, that's it! To hell with the yen!_

My head shot up. "Disciplinary action?!"

I leapt from my desk and stood right in front of him, balling my hands into fists. "I would really like to see you try that, you egotistical creep!"

And here I am, staring at him!

… _Damnit!_

I sensed a good number of people staring in our direction but at this point, I didn't even care.

Since when did I care anyway?!

Okay…maybe I did care a little but my frustration over this man outweighed everything.

 _Everything!_

"Egotistical creep?" Mr. Freeze repeated, his head cocked to the side. You would think that any normal guy would have been shocked, but no, not Mr. Freeze. Apparently, my insults are like freaking compliments to him! I could be fuming like a Spanish bull and he'll act like I threw a pillow at him!

Who does that?!

He begins circling me slowly like I was a piece of meat. "I'm flattered that your insults have dramatically improved in this space of time. I said what needed to be said to prove a point."

"Prove a point my ass!" I turned around, just to keep an eye on him. "You had every intention of embarrassing me in Chef Randall's office, didn't you?!"

"I don't believe I did. You caused that on your own, as always."

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't !"

"Of course you didn't. It was an imaginary ghost named Officer Claire Redfield."

"Stop with your dumb sarcastic quips! You're not funny!"

"It's difficult to keep your mouth shut, isn't it?" He stops walking, until he's right in front of me again. His arms are clasped behind his back like a drill sergeant and he's looking right down at me with that cold, amused expression he gives me on a daily basis.

It's official.

I'm dealing with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!

Better yet, I'm sure I'm dealing with a fruitcake that's gentle towards Rebecca, Jill and his daughter but when it comes to everyone _(including poor innocent me)_ , he's like a block of commercial ice!

"You must enjoy placing yourself in these situations, so you can blame me in the end."

"I was trying to back you up in Chief Randall's office! You know, if you came back to earth and join us normal people, you would haven taken the freaking hint!" Is he for real?! How could he not see that I was trying to lend him support, you know, like a normal person would?!

"I had it under control. I didn't require your assistance."

"There was nothing wrong with me butting in! You're lucky Chief Randall is handling this whole mess!"

"A mess that required me to ask Chief Randall for leniency on your behalf. I'm sure he was blaming you for this mishap in the first place."

 _Oh no he didn't!_

"Well, since we're going to play it that way, I didn't need you defending me! So there!"

"Laughable."

Wait…what?

Did he just say laughable?

What's so laughable about that?!

"What the hell are you trying to imply?" My eyes narrowed. "What is _'laughable'_ supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it means."

"No, explain it to me like a normal freaking human!"

"You should be grateful instead of opening your mouth."

"Grateful?!" I laughed. "With the hell you've been putting me through? Absolutely not!"

"I never placed you through hell Officer Redfield. You do that quite well on your own."

My hands were up in the air for like the tenth time I've had to deal with this man. "You are unbelievable! Just unbelievable! You are an egotistical, stuck up jerk!"

"I believe that you used egotistical twice. You're running low on insults again, it seems."

"I don't even know why anyone in their right mind would think I have some stupid crush on you!"

And that was when everything in the office screeched to a grinding halt.

Oh no.

That…sentence just torpedoed out of my mouth, didn't it?

I didn't even notice the door to Chief Randall's office crashing against the wall, with him storming out and demanding to know what the hell was going on. I didn't even notice that Vanessa and Lydia waltzed into the office and overheard the last sentence.

I…think my entire face is on fire right now.

How could Mr. Freeze be annoying and infuriatingly right at the same time?! He said I had a big mouth and I just had to prove it right in front of him!

What do I do now?!

The fish mouth returned with a vengeance.

You know, that mouth that showed up when I saw Mr. Freeze shirtless?! I think that face shows up when I'm mortified and embarrassed at the same time.

 _'...You're an idiot Claire...'_ Even my inner voice is sympathetic at this point.

"You wouldn't be the first woman to have this interesting attraction to me." Err, you know when someone hears something about a crush and they give you that wide grin, with the full intention of torturing you about it?

In this case, Mr. Freeze gives me a grin equivalent to a shark. "So tell me, Officer Redfield, what else do you have to say about me?"

 _Oh no..._

I covered my mouth, backed away and rushed for the door, barreling into Lydia and Vanessa along the way.

With another mouse squeak to top it all off.

Another day, ruined.

* * *

 **Rule #23** _: Never, ever mention the word 'crush' in front of the one you don't have a crush on. They will make your life very, very tragic._

* * *

[ **Time** : 8:30 p.m]

* * *

I was trying to decide if calling Jill right now was a good idea but then again, she was already on the phone so it didn't really make a difference either way.

In the background, I can hear shredding noises and some woman ranting, followed by a couple of slaps. From what Jill said, it was a brawl between her boss and wife and she was on her way out of the office before shoes and bottles flew in her direction.

Sure does remind me of that fight between her and Chris. It was like a cross between the apocalypse and a world war. Between strewn clothes and a charred wedding ring, it was serious business. Oh, and let's not forget the moment she chased him around their apartment with a knife.

" _You want me to do what?!"_

"Jill, just come pick me up! It's not rocket science!"

" _Wait, why do you want me to pick you up? What happened to Officer Wes—"_

"Don't you dare mention his name!"

" _Claire, what the heck is going on?!"_

"Rebecca still has that book signing, doesn't she?"

" _Well, yea but what does that have to do with anything—"_

"We're going undercover! I don't want Satan hypnotizing her with his so-called charms!"

" _Wait a minute…was that you on the news a few minutes ago? I heard about some robbery but I didn't catch the whole thing—"_

"Are you seriously trying to change the subject on me?! What does that have to do with anything?!"

" _I wasn't changing the subject! I just got in the car, turned on the radio and heard your name being mentioned along with your new partner…guy. He sure does enjoy making a name for himself."_

"Who cares! I need your help right now!"

 _"Okay, you did mention going undercover..."_

"Yes, because I didn't get a chance to convince Rebecca this is a bad idea!"

" _Claire, don't you think you're going a bit too overboard? Rebecca has a boyfriend! It's not like she's going to fall in love with him!"_

If I could strangle Jill over the phone right now, it would definitely be a good option right now.

Don't get me wrong, she's very intelligent when it comes to lawyer stuff and other every day subjects but when it comes to spy work, she's on the naïve side. Now, you must be wondering what led me to my talk with Jill in the hallway of the L.A.P.D, my back against the wall and watching out for any signs of a tall sociopath wandering around just to scare the bejesus out of me.

Remember that locker incident?

Yeah, I knew you would.

Well, after Mr. Freeze embarrassed me for the umpteenth time, I rushed for the bathroom. I must have made some gagging sounds over the toilet but somehow the bile I could have sworn was lodged in my throat never came out. That didn't stop Vanessa from coming in and letting me know that Chief Randall wanted to see me and Mr. Freeze in his office now. As much as I wanted to stay in the bathroom stall and pretend I was so ill that I couldn't possibly make it back, it wasn't going to work.

I would probably embarrass myself again.

Chief Randall doesn't take kindly to orders being ignored.

So I ended up in the office again, sitting across from that freaking ice bucket. Randall wanted to know what the hell was going on between us that warranted the interruption of his conversation with the commissioner.

The minute he mentioned commissioner, I knew I royally screwed up.

Mr. Freeze, on the other hand didn't seem like he cared. He only said that his partner _(that's me by the way, because he can't be bother with using my first name and only refers to me as 'partner' or Officer Redfield)_ was arguing with him over a trivial matter and had no intentions of stooping to her level.

Guess who was pissed off and tried to defend herself?

I did.

I retorted, in the sweetest voice possible that Mr. Freeze misunderstood my stance on the matter and made our conversation more uncomfortable than it needed to be. Chief Randall then mentions overhearing the word _'crush'_ and us arguing over idiocy _(he spat the word out like it was some kind of a disease)_ like a married couple.

Why in the world do people keep insisting that we argue like a married couple?!

Mr. Freeze shifted in his seat and retorts with hearing a rumor from me and wanted to squash it immediately but instead, I decided to cause a scene in the office.

Oh really?!

I mean, it's not like he mentioned it with that predator grin on his face or anything! You see how he tries to act innocent when the words **_'Antichrist'_ ** is written on his stupid forehead?!

I knew I should have stopped at the local church to grab a cross and holy water!

Chief Randall didn't seem to care what it was and snapped at us over getting along for the sake of the Sanchez investigation and our careers. Then he lectured us some more about being adults and not kids on a playground.

I was seconds away from tackling a Buddha statue and beating the crap out of it with a jack hammer. Mr. Freeze, on the other hand wasn't even bothered by Randall's temper.

After mumbling an apology and hearing _'my partner'_ apologize _(in his own little sociopath-like way)_ , we left the office.

But I knew in my little Redfield heart that he was anything but sorry because he gave me that predator grin again.

That's a far cry from the way he acted in the locker room!

He's trying to scar me for life!

I'm not stupid!

And now here we are, talking to my lovely friend Jill Richmond Valentine. **(1)**

"What part of _'I don't trust him'_ do you not get?! You know Rebecca is around men! She gets those goggle eyes and then there's no stopping her! You know how she embarrassed me in the restaurant!"

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

 _"...Oh wow, he's hot."_

 _Of course, Rebecca had to turn away from her menu to look at my worst possible nightmare, ruining my train of thought and forgetting that one little fact that we were hiding from Mr. Freeze to begin with. Gee, I wonder what happened to him being a jerk? Oh, I guess that disappeared the minute she saw him!_

* * *

[ **Present** ]

* * *

 _"Okay…so how are we even going undercover? He's not stupid and Rebecca's not stupid either!"_

"Just leave it to me! For now, just pick me up!"

 _"Fine! But you owe me!"_

"I owe you?!" I hissed. "You owe me fifty bucks for that stupid yen class that did absolutely nothing to deliver me from the devil!"

 _"Yen classes help you with remaining calm! Not freak out over a hot officer guy!"_

"I am not freaking out!" I insisted. "Me looking out for Rebecca doesn't equal freaking out! And enough with saying that he's hot! He's the devil in the flesh!"

 _"Okay, why are you so triggered over me saying that?"_

Jill just keeps piling on the many, many reasons why I should strangle the crap out of her when she gets here.

"Listen, I am not triggered!" I gripped my phone to the point my knuckles turned white. "I just don't need to hear how hot he is every five minutes! It doesn't change the fact that he's driving me insane!"

 _"How is he driving you insane?"_

"That whole bank thing was all him! He just went in there, took those idiots down and ignored protocol! Then there's this dumb rumor flying around that something's going on between us, which there isn't, and now he's going to make my life even more miserable because I said something incredibly stupid!"

Jill was very quiet on the other end the minute I said that.

When I mean quiet, I mean she was _'needle-drop'_ quiet.

The silence was already grating my fragile nerves.

"What?!" I snapped over the phone.

 _"Um...from the way you're reacting, are you sure you don't err...secretly have some...crush..."_

"Don't you dare Jill!"

 _"Oh come on Claire! Look at the way you're acting!"_

"What do you mean by the way I'm acting?"

 _"Um...well..."_

"Jill, I swear, if you say anything..."

 _"...with the way you're acting...it sounds like a crush..."_

"Jill!"

Please don't forget your earplugs for the rest of this little tale.

This is only the beginning of my many, many screams of horror and doom.

* * *

 **Rule #24** _: Friends are okay sometimes but when it comes to certain things, you're better off bludgeoning them to death first than being the voice of reason. In that case, Jill is implying I have a crush on this psycho and I am seconds away from murdering her._

 _...Let's hope that I don't._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Oh God, I remembered my friends in elementary school teasing me about having a crush on this teacher and I was seconds away from screaming and running out of the school. Then said teacher joined in on the teasing, which made the whole thing even more creepy.

Poor, poor Claire.

Seriously, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! But now, Claire has these rules in her little rants. What else can possibly go wrong? Um...I don't think this mission is going to go well.

Oh! In order to understand this scene with Mr. Freeze where he embarrasses her in Chief Randall's office, go back and reread the ending of my last chapter! I added some more stuff.

Next chapter is even longer so stay tuned!

* * *

 **(1)** I gave Jill a middle name, in case you're wondering. Felt appropriate to do it, since Claire has a tendency to freak out when someone remotely believes she's developing a small crush on Mr. Freeze.


	23. Chapter 23: The Uh-Oh Moment

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty-Three** : The Uh-Oh Moment

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

" _In which playing undercover work fails and our disguises isn't as foolproof as I previously calculated. Also, I'm convinced that Mr. Freeze is a super computer programmed to notice everything with frightening accuracy. Maybe...I shouldn't take Jill's warnings for granted."_

* * *

"...We look ridiculous Claire!"

"We're in these clothes for a reason Jill!"

"Let's just get out of here!"

"No! We're not leaving until we know Rebecca's safe!"

"From what?! Nothing's even happened yet!"

"Yet! That's why we're here to keep it that way!"

"I hate this stupid wig!"

"Don't you dare blow our cover Jill!"

"We look like Spice Girl rejects!"

I gave Jill the biggest exasperated sigh I could muster.

Okay, so we did look like rejected copies of Scary Spice, but that doesn't mean my disguises weren't foolproof! We might as well have targets painted on our backs if we just walked in normally! To be honest, I don't think Mr. Freeze knew I had this planned but still, I couldn't take any chances.

This man was close to being omnipotent about everything.

Sneaking around in a parking lot just to avoid him made me feel like I was in the middle of a spy thriller.

I had Jill park on the street, but I had to cut through the parking lot to reach the back of the building. That meant a near altercation with Mr. Freeze because he had his car parked in the parking lot. If he saw me, then he'll probably get suspicious. I mean, yes I should have been in that car of doom if I was going home, but he noted that I could take the public transportation, at least for today before we left the office.

Then added that nightmarish smirk.

I just glared at him.

Why do I keep letting him get away with that?!

He makes me so freaking angry!

Come to think of it, the whole head butting thing was just stupid on my part. I should have just leapt off the table in the cafeteria back when he was _'annoyed_ ' that I spilled his secret and jumped him! Sure, I would have looked like some bootleg L.A.P.D officer/wrestler chick but it would have granted **ME** satisfaction!

So anyway, I was out of breath by the time I made it to Jill's car.

Why?

Let's just say my trip out of the building wasn't smooth sailing.

Mr. Freeze was in the parking lot, scanning the area before he slipped in his car. He must have noticed something because the minute I peeked out from my corner, his gaze was focused on that one spot where I was _(behind a random wall, seconds away from using my banshee scream)_. Cue panic mode, where I looked for a place to hide just in case he got overly curious. But I was saved by the bell, when he opened the door, started the engine and pulled out.

I think I held my breath for thirty minutes, praying to that invisible deity that he didn't make his way over here. Any sudden movements and I would have to stutter out a lie just to avoid being vaporized from the frozen depths of hell.

So far, unnamed deity didn't screw me over.

Yet.

* * *

 _"Why in the world are you out of breath?!" Jill asked the minute I jumped in._

 _"Because he was in the parking lot and I couldn't let him see me!" I snapped._

 _"You're insane."_

 _"No I'm not!"_

 _"Sure you aren't."_

 _"Just start the freaking car already!"_

* * *

You might be wondering how we knew where Mr. Freeze was taking Rebecca.

Well, I had Jill ask her in a casual manner and Rebecca spilled the beans because you know, red signals would have gone off if I asked her _(due to the mini fight we had before Chris decided to barf on me)_. So the plan was to buy the disguises _(I knew a thrift shop that sold what we needed)_ , park across the street from the expensive hotel where the event was being held _(it was called Le Chappelle)_ , and I would scout out when Rebecca and Mr. Freeze was coming out with my trusty binoculars.

Rebecca's book signing was in downtown Los Angeles in the area my brother and I liked to call the _'rich people district'_. A lot of actors, actresses and even small time television producers lived around here, so the cafes were anything but middle class. Heck, in fact the café/restaurant we were in was nothing compared to the one Mr. Freeze and I were in during that one rainy night.

For one thing, the curtains and tablecloths was a warm combination of vanilla and white. The floors had the cleanest carpeting I have ever seen, period. The waiters were dressed in their little vanilla bowties, vests, white shirts and black pants. Ladies were dressed in skirts that would make any bimbo gasp in envy.

I don't know...maybe the owner was a pervert or this was a normal thing.

Either way, that didn't bother me.

The only thing I was concerned with was this operation.

Anyway, the event was from nine to eleven o'clock. According to Jill, Mr. Freeze and Rebecca should be out of the hotel in fifteen minutes, while reiterating that once again, this was incredibly stupid and this felt like a scene out of James Bond.

So then I had to remind her again that she agreed to it. And besides, she wasn't wrong about the time they were coming out.

As if on cue, we saw Mr. Freeze and Rebecca, with no reporters in sight. Usually during these things, Rebecca would have a slew of reporters behind her, asking several questions that ranged from her personal life to questions that were already answered. A part of me wondered how Mr. Freeze and Rebecca was able to make it out without being cornered but I guess being a former C.I.A agent meant you knew how to bypass reporters. And with the media on her case regarding Billy, they'll probably run away with that ' _Rebecca Chambers: Lover or Cheater?'_ tabloid.

I know media, trust me.

As for the disguises, I wore a white shirt, black bell bottoms and platform shoes with a short blond wig _(I have to admit, blond actually didn't look bad on me)_ , while Jill wore a brown shirt, white bell bottoms and brown platform sandals.

She had a long, curly brunette wig.

Jill and I could have spied on them in the hotel but you needed special tickets for the event. I think I've been to a book signing once but that was about it. I couldn't bring myself to be sandwiched between the _'rich and sleazy'_ and nosy reporters.

I guess I never told you how Kennedy and I were labeled as the Bonny/Clyde duo of the L.A.P.D, did I?

That label alone made us popular items for the media.

Mr. Freeze parked about two blocks away from the hotel, at least from my view. The minute we saw them get inside the car, I pulled the binoculars from my face and Jill revved up the engine.

And here we are, in our disguises, watching them across the aisle where our table was located.

The only thing we had on our table was water, but Jill was thinking about ordering dinner, as she buried her head in a menu.

Me?

I was watching Rebecca's face, as it mutated from the color of a stop sign to a bright red lollipop.

"What are they talking about anyway?" Jill whispered to me from across the table, peeking from the menu.

"How the hell should I know?" I whispered back. "She's giggling and he has that psycho smirk on his face!"

Jill raised her eyebrow." I...think you watch too many horror movies."

I just stared at her. "…Shut-up Jill."

"It's true! You exaggerate things!"

"Shut-up!"

Rebecca looked stunning, for one thing.

She was dressed in a full black dress that showed off her curves and legs, along with strapped sandals that wrapped around her ankles. Her hair was combed neatly, with a few slick edges here and there. Mr. Freeze, on the other hand was wearing a black tuxedo with a white shirt and a black bowtie.

And of course, his hair was slicked to perfection.

I'm convinced he has bottles of gel at his dungeon because I have never seen anyone with hair that was never out of place.

Maybe he's immune to bad hair days.

' _He err…does look hot in that tuxedo...'_ Inner voice chimed.

' _Stop that!'_ Scolding my inner voice has got to be a world record by now. _'I'm looking out for Rebecca's_ well _-being! There's nothing wrong with that!'_

' _Mhm.'_

' _I am not checking him out!'_

' _Sure you aren't.'_

 **' _Shut-up!'_**

 _'Denial.'_

 ** _'Stop that right now!'_**

 _'Denial, denial, denial!'_

 ** _'Stop!'_**

Inner voice is a pain at times.

I mean, there's no way I would ever, and I mean have some kind of weird fling for Mr. Freeze!

I'm sure you heard me rant about how egotistical, snobby and self centered he is! He acts like his words are law and there's nothing I can do or say about it! Not to mention he scares the crap out of people! Like yesterday, some random intern ran into him by accident and he made that poor kid apologize! Then that kid was stuttering and started worrying about his future with the L.A.P.D!

Trust me, I'm not kidding about this!

But do you think any of that makes a difference?

No, because I just gave Mr. Freeze a reason to continue his reign of terror!

Remember that incident in the office? Well, people are now giving me weird looks and I just gave Lydia and Vanessa ammunition to use against me.

I continued watching him with Rebecca, while Jill buried herself in a menu. So far, nothing looked suspicious. They were talking, with Rebecca letting out her usual nervous laugh whenever she was stuck in ' _shyville'_ and Mr. Freeze being Mr. Freeze.

Okay…Jill had a point, somehow.

Maybe I am blowing this whole café thing out of proportion. I mean, it's not like they kissed or anything, right?

Don't get me wrong, I trust Rebecca but with the way Mr. Freeze was _'flirting'_ with her, I had to take some course of action here. Of course he's going to deny he was flirting with her but I'm not stupid! I can see through that phony _'I dun' know what you're talking about'_ nonsense!

And don't get me started on the way he was flirting with her in the restaurant last Saturday!

Still…I hope nothing happens and Jill and I can get out of the café without attracting attention from either of them—wait a freaking minute, why in the world is he so close to her face now?!

"What the hell…?!" At this point, I was growling under my breath like a pit-bull in attack mode.

Jill glanced at me from the menu again. "Huh…? What's wrong?!"

"Why is he staring at her like that?!"

"Staring like what?"

"Like that!"

Of course, Jill's staring at them and sees absolutely nothing wrong with the whole scenario. "They're still…talking? I don't see anything wrong—"

"Are you kidding me right now?!"

"What? They're still talking!"

Part of me wanted to groan and smack my head against the table.

It's just painful to see Jill completely unaware of what was happening here! Mr. Freeze was speaking to Rebecca, sure but it was like they were being all secretive!

"You're unbelievable!" The menu flew from my face and landed on the table. "Are you seriously telling me that you don't see anything wrong with this picture?!"

"Uh…no?"

"Jill, would you stop acting like you have no idea what's going on here?!"

"How am I acting like I have no idea what's going on! They're just talking Claire! Talking! As in _'she says_ _something and he responds back'_!"

"Argh…just forget it!"

That's when I spied a paper covered straw on the table. Call me childish, but I think revenge is in order right now.

Yes ladies and gentleman, I'm about to attack Mr. Freeze with a couple of spitballs.

A sudden grin of mischief spreads across my face.

Oh yes indeed.

He was going to be at the mercy of spitball strikes aimed for his stupid head.

Of course, Jill stared at me like I completely lost the plot and then the straw. "You're not doing what I think you're doing—"

"He's getting too close over there! He needs a reality check!" I retorted.

"Claire, that's five year old stuff!" Jill exclaimed. Her menu dropped to the table as well. "And aren't you risking our cover?! No one's in the middle aisle! He's going to know it came from this direction!"

"He's not going to know because I can easily use this menu for cover!" I unwrapped the vanilla colored straw and shredded the cover until I had about seven pieces, ready to form into a good, sizable weapon.

I crumpled one piece to the point it looked like a miniature soccer ball.

"Claire, this is stupid!"

"You're either with me or against me Jill!" I declared, raising the straw paper to my lips. "And you agreed to this so there's no backing out of it!"

The only response I got from Jill was an exasperated groan.

"Don't freaking remind me!"

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

You see, there's an art when it comes to spitballs.

I used to loathe Chris when he threw them at me during family hour while we were watching a movie in the darkness of the living room. Mom and dad either fell asleep or was too engrossed in the plot to notice that he snuck a straw and pieces of paper in his pocket for that special occasion. Then it resorted to me getting revenge so we had an all out spitball war.

Then both of us were punished when mom found spitball pieces while she was cleaning.

Yes…Chris and I were tiny terrors back then.

We loved each other dearly, but we were also competitive sibling misfits.

Anyway, the plan was to wet the paper enough to get it inside the straw and shoot it out at the right moment with efficiency. Not only will your enemy be embarrassed, they will also be very, very pissed off.

And Mr. Freeze wouldn't know what hit him because I also mastered the art of secrecy. Hence the menu that will hide my acts of mischivity.

"You're insane!" Jill hisses from the menu as I loaded my spitball in the straw. "Clinically insane! We'll probably get kicked out if anyone sees you doing this!"

"Then be a lookout and quit freaking out!" I hissed back.

Peeking from the menu that hid my face, I raised my straw and aimed for Mr. Freeze.

And blew.

Bull's-eye.

The spitball went flying, hitting the right side of his face while he was talking with Rebecca. I could have sworn he flinched the minute it happened, causing me to snort. Then Rebecca had that startled look on her face because it seemed like she was asking him if he was alright.

Then I saw his lips move, which probably indicated that he felt something on the side of his face and he mentioned it to her.

Who knew Mr. Freeze can freak out over a spitball?

This was golden!

Now I have something to use against him!

Seriously, I was seconds away from doing a mock imitation of an evil villian laugh.

"I can't believe I'm here, at this table, watching you toss spitballs at your freaking partner!" Jill peeked from the menu once more.

"He deserves it!" I shot back, preparing another piece of arsenal in my collection. "That's for humiliating me during that fake heist and all the other days he became my partner!"

"Why do I have a feeling that this isn't even about Rebecca?!"

"It is! I'm just getting personal revenge!"

And with that, I peeked from the menu again and fired again. This time, the spitball bounced off his head.

Again, Mr. Freeze flinched.

It was all too much for me as I struggled to breathe from the stifled laughs coming from my lips. I fired off my fifth spitball, after the other four were perfect. All five either bopped him in the face or bounced off his head.

Let's just say that he wasn't happy after the fifth one because I kept interrupting his conversation with Rebecca. He had the stare that would make a grown man shrivel and die on the floor.

Rebecca looked very confused and a bit nervous from the look on his face.

"You're also embarrassing her!" Jill peeks from the menu again, glaring at me. "If she finds out we tailed her, I'm blaming this on you!"

"Stop being a worrywart!" I'm loading up the sixth piece of paper in the straw. "She's not going to find out! And he's not going to know anything either!"

"Sooner or later, he's going to know someone is tossing spitballs at him in this café!"

"Stop overreacting! We're fine!" I insisted.

And from here...that's when things go horribly wrong.

I really blame Jill for her big mouth and I think I have a terrible habit of underestimating Mr. Freeze.

Remember when I heard and read about all of his credentials? Yea, I first assumed he was a stuck-up fossil with issues. Turns out that I was dealing with a former C.I.A operative with a four paged resume who still had issues but wasn't quite a fossil.

Remember when I assumed he knew nothing about the crush thing? Turns out that he found out about it in the locker room.

Remember when I was so sure I could ignore him and win that stupid challenge?

I didn't even last a day!

No matter how many times I accused him of twisting the rules to suit his agenda, I lost that stupid challenge!

There's always that looming danger of underestimating your enemy.

And I was about to learn a really valuable lesson.

The minute I peeked out from the menu with the straw was the minute Mr. Freeze made direct contact across the aisle.

In our direction.

The straw dropped from my lips and rolled off the table.

This...wasn't a good sign.

Even Jill must have noticed something because I wasn't trying to muffle a laugh while torturing Mr. Freeze anymore.

"...He caught you, didn't he?! I told you to knock it off Claire!" Jill was in full panic mode and when I mean _panic mode_ , she was seconds away from bailing on me!

At this point, I didn't even respond.

How in the world is he staring at us?! There's no possible way he could have known the spitballs were coming from our table! I refuse to believe that! No one is that humanly accurate to notice anything was amiss!

Of course, that's when the _'uh-oh'_ moment arrived the minute he rose from said table.

And made his way towards us.

* * *

 **Rule #25** : _Spitballs versus the terminator is funny for a couple of times...until he notices you're the one throwing them, cackling like a maniac._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Another cliffhanger!

I didn't really have plans for this one but I couldn't help myself at all. -twiddles fingers again-


	24. Chapter 24: The Fettuccine Incident

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty-Four** : The Fettuccine Incident

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

" _In which running in platform shoes in a café/restaurant while being chased isn't a good idea, especially when you trip a waiter and creamy pasta goes flying. In other words, this was another bad idea. Also, Mr. Freeze has a strange fascination with my waist."_

* * *

You see, in a time like this, there were only three options available at the moment.

Either choice was risky, but salvaging this mission was crucial.

* * *

 _ **1**. Sit there and pretend to be as normalized as possible. In other words, the minute Mr. Freeze arrives, place all hands on deck and pretend you have no idea what he's talking about. Not to mention imitating a French accent that will probably make him not believe a single word out of your mouth._

 _Mr. Freeze was crazy, not stupid. We're talking about a man with a very high IQ and a resume that's long enough to be an essay._

 _ **2**. Take a deep breath, pull off the wigs and admit to the whole spying thing. Mr. Freeze will most likely strangle someone (preferably me because I was responsible for the bombardment of spitballs that embarrassed him in front of Rebecca), and Rebecca will never speak to either of us ever again._

 _ **3**. Run like hell and don't look back. But that would make us look too suspicious in the first place. And then...we'll probably be banned from the restaurant forever. Which...wouldn't have been such a big deal, but Rebecca wouldn't be happy about that tidbit either._

* * *

Right now, my best bet was **a** , with some form of improvisation. Hey, I didn't graduate from the academy for show! I know a thing or two about weaseling my way out of situations!

But at this point, I was sweating bullets.

Mr. Freeze …well let's just say that I was his intended target. I don't think he saw the straw, but at the same time, it was terrifying how he knew the spitballs were coming from this direction.

Seriously, if he was the devil in the flesh, we would have been ashes by now.

That's how scary he looked.

No, no, Mr. Freeze doesn't have an expression to let you know he's angry. He just cranks up the intimidation factor and has that calm look on his face.

Okay so I went overboard with the spitballs!

But I'm not apologizing for it because for the first time, I was able to embarrass him!

Then again…with Rebecca staring in our direction as well, the mission was hanging in limbo.

And Jill wasn't helping at all.

She wanted to be invisible or at least pretend she wasn't in this with me!

"I'm not here!" She snaps, glaring at me. "He can flay you alive but I'm not involved in this mess!"

"Yes you are!" I retorted. "You are not leaving me here by myself!"

"No I'm not! Unless you have some brilliant plan to get us out of this mess, I am going incognito okay? Incognito! I told you to don't fire the spitballs but good ol' Claire Redfield had to be the one to cause a freaking scene! People are staring!"

"Look, we just sit here and act cool!" Okay, so the _'cool'_ part was easier said than done but any slight twitching could blow our cover out the window. "I'll handle everything else! Just don't blow the cover!"

"You don't have anything covered, do you? He's going to know it's us and when he does, I'm not here okay? Not here!"

"Yes you are!" I snapped back. "You have a disguise on too!"

"So?! I wasn't the one who thought it was such a great idea to throw spitballs at the coldest man alive!"

Wait a minute, did Jill just admit that Mr. Freeze was an iceberg?

I don't think I heard that right.

So I'm not going crazy and someone discovered this phenomenon?!

"Wait a minute, did you just say…" I began, but a dark, looming presence hung over us suddenly, interrupting my question. Jill buried herself in the menu while I scrambled for mine, averting the Dracula gaze.

With hands clasped behind his back like a drill sergeant on patrol, this was already a terrible sign. I mean, he was zeroing on us like a torpedo. At this point, I was just praying for Jill not to abandon ship because knowing her, she'll probably throw out a squeaky _'excuse me'_ bathroom excuse and run for dear life.

Then I'll be stuck with Mr. Freeze, stuttering like a freaking moron.

"Excuse me…" He began in a voice that was anything but polite. "…but I believe it's rude to throw spitballs in the middle of a restaurant, let alone a classroom."

I swallowed hard and slowly peeked up from the menu.

He was now staring down at me.

In a time like this, the only thing that would have came out of my lips was a squeak.

But instead of that, I crossed my fingers and toes and prayed for the best.

Yeah…really should have listened to Jill.

"Spitballs…?" I echoed in the best French accent I could muster in a time like this. "I know nothing about…these…spitballs you are referring to. My friend and I are enjoying a nice evening together. We are from another country and only arrived yesterday. Perhaps you are mistaken, no?"

" _Me trompe?"_ Mr. Freeze questions in perfect French. _"Je ne crois pas pas, non."_ **(1)**

And…this what a normal person would call _'a rock_ ' and a ' _hard place_ '.

Remember when Mr. Freeze was flirting with Rebecca _(even though he insists he wasn't but I'm not stupid!)_ in the mall a couple of days ago?

I was messing with a multilingual.

And I don't know a single word of French.

That's not to say I didn't know any languages but the only one I was fluent in was the English language. And knowing Mr. Freeze, he probably knew ten languages or more. Which meant…my poor attempts at faking a French accent was crumbling.

 _Fast._

It was only a matter of time before he figured out it was me. And Jill's muffled squeak wasn't helping the predicament we were in.

"I believe you have the wrong suspects sir," I said, trying to salvage my accent. "We know nothing about this, right Jamie?"

I had to lightly kick Jill under the table to get her to go along with me, which produced a muffled 'ow!'

Mr. Freeze's eyebrow rose.

Please tell me he didn't hear that...

"Um…she's right…" Jill somehow pitched in with an accent that was arguably worse than mine. "…totally right! We know absolutely nothing about you or your lovely girlfriend over there…!"

If there was any way I could smack my head against the table, it would be now.

Okay, first of all that French accent sounded like some bimbo white girl reject, and second of all…girlfriend?!

How could she say girlfriend?!

Good freaking job Jill! Thanks for making things more complicated than they already are!

"Interesting choice of words Jamie, but your accent is lacking." Err…I think the temperature dropped because I could have sworn a patch of cold air just filtered through the restaurant. "You also look quite familiar, along with your friend and her pitiful attempts to not blow your covers. Please, by all means give up, lest I embarrass both of you in this restaurant."

"What are you talking about sir…?" Jill continued in her god-awful accent. "We know of no such thing—"

" _Peut-être vous devriez parler votre langue maternelle. Votre accent, est après tout étranger à moi. Il ressemble à une tentative pathétique de me tromper."_ **(2)**

And that's when I realized that **Plan A** was falling apart and we needed **Plan C** , pronto. **Plan B** never took off so yeah...we were done.

In other words, the jig was up.

Literally.

I swallowed another lump that rose from my throat.

"Uh...of course!" Jill wasn't making this situation any better. "That's exactly what I said!"

"I don't believe you understood what I just said, otherwise you would have responded in your native language."

 _Oh no..._

People were staring, Mr. Freeze smelled fresh blood in the water like a famished shark, and Jill was freaking out. Meanwhile, poor Rebecca was staring in our direction, still trying to figure out what was going on.

I had to do something really fast, otherwise we were screwed.

That's when I noticed, at the corner of my eye a waiter that was making his way quickly towards our direction with a plate of what smelled like fettuccine alfredo.

How did I know what it was?

Well, I am pretty much the chef in the house when Chris isn't burning down the house. I made plenty of creamy fettuccini alfredo dishes and the one this young guy was carrying was no different. In fact, it was our ticket to getting out of here before Mr. Freeze blew his lid and our cover.

Okay, so embarrassing a guy that looked fresh out of college was a really terrible thing to do but I didn't have a choice! You may be saying ' _well, if you didn't throw so many spitballs in Mr. Freeze's direction, this wouldn't_ be _happening_ ' but it was worth it!

Still, we were in deep caca.

While Mr. Freeze was momentarily distracted by Jill, my left foot shot out.

Everything happened in slow motion.

The poor sap didn't know what hit him because the minute he tripped, the plate went flying, and he crashed face first into Mr. Freeze's chest.

Jill's mouth was as wide as a spaghetti-o while the menu dropped from her face.

Mr. Freeze didn't even have time to react.

The results were disastrous.

Ever saw a train wreck where food was involved?

In this case, my intended target was covered in chicken, pasta, and white cheese sauce, from his perfectly gelled hair to his tuxedo.

On top of that, my victim was in utter shock and seconds away from crying, shaking like a windup toy soldier.

"Run!" I hissed to Jill.

Ignoring the stupid look plastered on her face, I scrambled out of my seat and ran.

… Maybe I should have also grabbed the tablecloth to use on the growling, rampaging bull that was after me the minute he shoved the kid aside, grabbed the towel he was holding before the fettuccine incident and wiped the mess from his hair and face.

I really should apologize to that kid after this is over.

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

I've chased criminals before.

I mean, there was that example where I busted that Jackie-Chan wannabe the minute I met Mr. Freeze, along with my adventures with Kennedy. It was adrenaline pumping, where I didn't even had to go to the gym after work because it was a thirty minute workout in itself.

Catching the perp was only half of the fun. If they were involved in something worth interrogating for, we got to make them squirm for dear life.

But right now, I wasn't the one doing the chasing.

I was being chased.

Now, I had no idea where I was going. All I knew was that I was running through what appeared to be the kitchen, after crashing into a set of double doors and nearly barreling into another waiter. Which meant avoiding the cooks, various chefs, and various hazards in my way.

How I was running in bell bottoms and platform shoes, I don't know.

How I managed to not be covered in hot grease and risotto, I don't know.

It also didn't help that Mr. Freeze was no slouch when it came to chases.

He was on my ass like peanut butter and jelly.

Either he figured out it was me or I was the closest person to invoke his wrath on.

…It was probably both.

But I couldn't worry about that now because right now, I had Satan on my trail and Jill probably gunned the engine to her car by now and left me.

I didn't even check to see if she actually ran or not!

To be honest, I couldn't worry about that. My survival was far more important right now!

Here I was, zigzagging across a kitchen in a desperate attempt to reach an exit. Thankfully, one was in plain sight, with bold, light coordinated letters, encased in red.

I could hear the _'Hallelujah'_ chorus in my head right now as I drew closer to freedom. At this time, I was out of breath and wincing from the pain those shoes gave me. You know, it's a well known fact that if you run long enough in platform shoes, your feet were bound to hurt.

Right now, all I wanted to do was make it home and pull these stupid things off!

But you see, life doesn't work that way.

When you have a raging, demonic entity known as Mr. Freeze that's seconds away from ripping you to shreds, you can't afford to worry about that, let alone panic. You have to remain as calm as a cucumber and try really hard not to freak out.

Before I could make it to the exit, a hand shot out, grabbed my waist, and pinned me against the wall. Now, you must be wondering how he knew I was the reason behind his ruined evening and clothes.

Well, I was the one who yelled ' _run_ '!

Real smart Claire.

"Eek!" I screeched, flapping and trying to shove Mr. Freeze out of the way but it was like attacking a boulder with your bare fists. **(3)** "Let go of me!"

At that moment, the wig to my disguise slid from my head, exposing my normal hair.

This…wasn't good at all.

"You…" That growl was unmistakable. With a single pull, he yanked the wig off my hair and tossed it aside. It sailed like a parachute and landed on the floor, deflated.

Just like the operation just now.

I gulped. "Well, well, what a coincidence! I didn't think I'd run into my awesome partner in here! Um...you see I was practicing my whole disguise shtick and...well...here I am! So how was your night...?"

"You couldn't resist, could you?" He ignored my poor, half-witted excuse. "Were you that jealous that you had to wear such a ridiculous outfit, toss spitballs across a restaurant like a child and drag Ms. Valentine along?"

"Who said I was jealous?!" I retorted. "I was just making sure Rebecca was safe! I don't trust you!" Then I had to bite my lip from snorting at the dried creamy pasta stains that was stuck to his tuxedo and hair.

Yeah, I'm so jealous!

He's out of his freaking mind if he thinks me protecting my best friend is me being jealous!

"Safe?" Mr. Freeze leaned in, just to give me one of those glares that nearly scared good ol' Solomon into a coma. "Your idiocy is nothing short of astounding. I'm aware that Ms. Chambers has a boyfriend. I have no interest in breaking up a relationship. But please, by all means, continue to justify your pathetic reasons for following us here."

"I don't need to justify anything! Let go of me!"

I start pounding away at his chest with my fists, but he doesn't even budge.

"I said let go!"

"I wonder what your dear friend will think when I tell her that you were spying on her, let alone trying to ruin our conversation?"

"You tell Rebecca anything and I swear I'll make you regret it- **GAH**!"

His grip tightens around my waist. "I highly doubt that. You'll have to do much better, if you don't want to lose your precious friendship."

He's trying to blackmail me again!

How do I even get out of this?!

"You wouldn't dare tell her anything!" I sputtered, feeling my cheeks growing warm by the minute. Yes, this was really embarrassing. He has me pinned against the wall and it's only a matter of time before someone catches us like this. "I mean, you wouldn't because…she wouldn't talk to you either!"

"But I wasn't the one with a ridiculous disguise. That was all your doing, Officer Redfield. Or should I say Claire Redfield? You did want me to use your actual name."

"Oh don't you even dare!" I yelled. "You think you're so clever but you're not! You didn't even know I had this planned! That's right! I got the drop on you Mr. Monotone! So back off before you get hurt!"

"You, hurt me?" He mocks, with that dark smirk he's infamous for by now. "I'm quaking in fear, even as we speak."

"You son of a...!" I began, but a voice manages to interrupt me.

"Claire...?! Wait, what the hell is going on?!"

…You didn't hear that squeak that soon followed.

You heard nothing!

* * *

 **Rule #26** _: The last thing you want in a situation is for your friend to catch you and your partner in a kitchen against the wall, with his arm around your waist. In other words, Rebecca just entered the scene._ _Oh joy. I'm just spinning around like a ballerina as we speak._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

I'm really sorry about the long wait. I've been busy, and been fighting anxiety for a number of weeks. It hasn't been easy but I'm trying to get through my issues. Don't worry, I'm doing okay now.

But on to happier things!

Claire is in deep poop! This sounds like a lover's quarrel, doesn't it? Please let me know if the French is accurate if you're a native speaker. Thanks!

I will be updating my other stories as well as a new, revised Resident Evil: Endgame! I also found an old story I'm reviving this week! Fall cleaning in my room is fun!

* * *

 **Translations**

* * *

 **(1)** Mistaken? I doubt that.

 **(2)** Perhaps you should speak your native language. Your accent, after all is foreign to me.

* * *

 **(3)** I couldn't resist a dig at Chris. Seriously, punching a boulder?!


	25. Chapter 25: Mistletoe Aftermath

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty-Five** : Mistletoe Aftermath

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

" _In which I find out that a mistletoe is nothing but pure evil, and Rebecca leaves me alone with Mr. Freeze as payback. Oh, did I also mention that Jill bailed on me?! And…did the unthinkable just happened?!"_

* * *

[ **Time:** 11:45 p.m]

* * *

"Rebecca…this is not what it looks like…!"

Of course, that's the first thing that flies out of my mouth while the devil incarnate has me trapped against the wall.

"What do you mean it's not what it looks like?! What in the world are you doing here?!"

Okay, I didn't expect this to happen!

The plan was to humiliate Mr. Freeze, make sure Rebecca was safe and hightail out of the café/restaurant! There was no possible way Mr. Freeze could have known I threw those spitballs!

That was a lucky guess!

A pure lucky guess!

I had everything under control until Jill had to jinx everything!

"Um…err…I was just…passing by…!" My nervous laugh does nothing to quell the awkwardness of the situation. "You know…just to see…um…if you needed anything and to see how…everything was going…!"

"You do realize I'm not buying that silly excuse, right?" Rebecca's hands are on her hips and she's giving me that _'you have got to be kidding me'_ look.

"What silly excuse? It's true!"

"Your hair's sticking up like some psycho killer and he's covered in pasta and spitballs! Unbelievable Claire, just unbelievable!"

"I was trying to protect you from this entity in front of me!" And...there goes my arm flapping again.

I didn't even bother catching the glimpse of that frigid glare Mr. Freeze gave me.

"He's not an entity!" Rebecca snapped.

"How could you even be sure he's not? I didn't have holy water and crosses, so I had to use spitballs!" I retorted.

"That's five-year-old stuff Claire! Five-year-old stuff!"

"He deserved it!"

"You didn't even consider me in this whole situation, did you?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I was trying to protect you! That's why I came here in the first place!"

"I didn't need protection! We were fine until you caused this!"

"Yes, you did! You don't know what he's capable of!"

"Claire, you're being ridiculous!" Rebecca shakes her head in disbelief. "Absolutely ridiculous!"

"This is not ridiculous!" I shot back.

"Jill told you where we were meeting, didn't she?" She points a shaky finger in my direction. "You dragged her into this just to spy on me and your partner! And what are you doing against the wall with him?! I knew you had some weirdo crush on him! Don't deny it! You were blushing in that restaurant last Saturday! And then you were completely melodramatic when I told you about the book signing!"

Yes, Rebecca just said that.

Right in front of Mr. Freeze.

I'm going to kill her!

My cheeks grew hotter than a toaster oven.

"You take that back!" I'm second away from taking a flying leap for Rebecca's throat, but Mr. Freeze wouldn't budge. "Let go, you big oaf! It's between me and her! Rebecca, you wait until I get out of this…!"

I'm punching at his arm, struggling to get away but the minute that tight, cold smirk of his formed on his face, I knew it spelled trouble.

 **TROUBLE** with a capital **T**.

You see, I've already outlined Mr. Freeze's personality. If he ever used that smirk, he was about to blackmail me. If he ever frowns, it's either he's confused or claims that I'm too _'weird'_ for the human mind to comprehend. If he chuckles, it's either something that he thinks is funny or he's about to do something to embarrass me.

I knew that smirk from anywhere!

He's about to stir the pot!

"You have a rather good point, Ms. Chambers." Mr. Freeze looks down at me, while I'm the one shooting daggers at him now. "Why else would she spy on us? I believe it stems from jealousy. And she drags her best friend into this. I do apologize for my partner's immature behavior—"

"Shut up!" I stepped on his foot, catching him off guard, but it wasn't enough for him to let go of me. No, he just grits his teeth and squeezes my waist again as a warning.

The chipmunk squeak has become a new fad.

How am I not hurting him?! How is he just standing there and not feeling any sort of pain?!

Rebecca shakes her head in disgust. "I can't believe you would do something like this! You know what? I'm going home. Thanks for ruining a perfectly good evening!"

Before she turns away, she points at something above our heads. "Oh, and for the record, there's a small mistletoe from last Christmas on the door. You do know the whole mistletoe story, right Claire?"

I just stared at her in object horror.

Mistletoe?!

What mistletoe?!

Mr. Freeze's smirk disappears almost immediately and now he's staring at Rebecca. "…What?"

Lo' and behold, the coldest, smartest man on planet earth is dumbfounded for once in his miserable life!

Don't tell me he doesn't know what a mistletoe is!

"Oh, you don't know about the mistletoe story, Mr. Wesker?" That's when Rebecca shoots a glare at him too. "The one where if two people are standing under a mistletoe, you have to kiss? Well, you two have fun because I'm going home!"

And just like that, Rebecca was gone.

Growling, I stepped on Mr. Freeze's foot again. "This is your fault!"

That was enough for him to finally let go of me. You know, the way he lovingly shoves me aside just to prove a point _(and I nearly fall on my ass, again!)_?

I stumbled backwards, and found myself staring at the mistletoe Rebecca was referring to.

In plain glory.

It was a pale and dried up, with a red and green ribbon tied around it in a bow. Either this was a sick joke, or it was an honest mistake not to take it down the minute Christmas ended.

I was fuming.

Mr. Freeze glanced at the dried-up mistletoe, and then at me with his glare again. "How is your immaturity my fault?"

"You should have told her you had something to do and not go!"

"Who are you to tell me what I should do?"

"I'm her friend!"

"Her friend? If you were a friend, Officer Redfield, you wouldn't have caused this in the first place. Eventually, you will pay for your insolence. I will make sure of it."

"Oh, so now you're threatening me? This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Then how else did you expect your so-called investigation to happen? Perhaps I wouldn't have seen you if you didn't throw spitballs in my direction. It appears that you haven't graduated from preschool after all."

"You deserved every one of them! I'm proud of it! You made my life hell for a good while! And you know what?!" I'm shouting at this point. "I loved every minute of it! You freaking nerd!"

"Watch your tongue, Officer Redfield." Mr. Freeze voice grows angrier by the second. At this point, anyone would cower in fear but me? No, I am standing my ground this time! He can raise his voice and try to act all intimidating but I'm not backing down!

Hence me standing there!

Okay…maybe my knees are wobbling, but that's because I'm trembling in rage!

Usually when you're pissed off, it takes everything in you to not shake like a _Tickle-Me-Elmo_!

"Oh, watch my tongue?" I mocked him. "And what are you going to do? If you think you're going to handcuff me to another table and catch me off guard, you're wrong! There's no tables here so bring it on!"

And…that's where I should have kept my mouth shut.

The imaginary heavyweight boxing bell rang.

Remember that incident in the café the first time Mr. Freeze and I met?

Yeah, well, it was only a matter of time before we tumbled to the floor after going back and forth with a flurry of punches and kicks. It was like a martial arts movie, where he was blocking practically everything and I was swinging for all the candy in the world.

Piñata reference by the way.

It also didn't help that the manager and his employees were standing there in utter shock, watching us wrestle on the floor like two chicks in a mud fight. Well, okay I was doing most of the wrestling and he was either trying to avoid the slaps aimed for his head and face or looking for a way to pin me down before things escalated.

Let's just say…we had a lot of apologizing to do after our _'catfight'_ was over, that way Chief Randall never catches wind of this whole incident and yells at us.

Again.

I wouldn't be surprised if we became regulars in his office.

It's bad enough the whole department knows about the _'tension'_ and _'rumors'_ flying between us already!

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

"…Sorry."

It's not often I apologize for something, especially to Mr. Freeze, but at this point, the manager was in lawsuit mode _(our little fight caused a ruckus in the restaurant and drove his customers to ask for the bill and hightail out of there)_ and he was accusing us of his loss of revenue for the night. This threatened lawsuit would have caused a ten o'clock news highlight, so Mr. Freeze and I did what anyone would do in a time like this.

We apologized.

Okay, I did most of the apologizing and that idiot just said that if it wasn't for his partner, this wouldn't have occurred in the first place. Then I was seconds away from leaping over the table we were forced to sit at to strangle him, _(manager swore that if we didn't come to a compromise, the lawsuit would happen)_ , but I restrained myself.

Restrained was an understatement by the way.

I had to reach down and beg every deity in the book not to let me snap again. Then again, how many deities were out there in the world anyway?

Might be something worth researching at some time in my life.

Anyway, getting off topic here.

So, after _'apologizing'_ just to appease this guy, we left the restaurant, with Mr. Freeze still covered in dried fettuccine white sauce and spaghetti _(and dirt, if you count us rolling around on the floor)_ , and me covered in dried marinara sauce _(that I tried dumping on him, but missed)._ Now, Jill's car was nowhere in sight, which confirmed my suspicions all along.

She abandoned the mission!

I can't believe her!

The one friend that stuck with me during the craziest times abandoned me!

Mr. Freeze didn't respond.

I sighed. "What, no stupid retort? I'm actually surprised—"

"I don't need your apology."

He cuts me off, as we're making our way towards his car. Considering that I had no way of getting back over the other side of town _(Jill was my only form of transportation because my car was at home)_ , Mr. Freeze had to drive me back.

Although he did say he was tempted to leave me here.

He's such a sweetheart.

That's sarcasm by the way.

"Stop acting like that, for once in your life!" I stopped walking. "Yeah, the spitballs were immature, but I was looking out for my friend's wellbeing—"

"What did you expect I was going to do with Ms. Chambers?" Mr. Freeze stops and turns around, staring at me. "It was a simple meeting. If anything, you should apologize to her for your stupidity."

I was about to yell at him for the _'stupidity'_ part, but in the end, he was right. I did overreact to this whole thing. To think Rebecca could have been embarrassed on camera of the crew of reporters followed her over here, well it could have made things a lot worse. Then we would have been plastered on the news, like I just mentioned and it would be the talk of the freaking office.

I can't believe…I'm agreeing with Mr. Freeze.

Hell must have frozen over.

"You're…right. I need to apologize to her." And that's when the guilt trip sets in. "This…idea wasn't the best one."

This time, he's the one that sighs. "I'm surprised it took you this long to figure that out."

"Okay, don't make me feel worse than I already feel. I didn't ask for your input, thank you—"

"You needed to hear that."

"Don't start—"

"Were you jealous?" He cuts me off again, but it wasn't the usual _'I'm holier than thou'_ attitude.

It was a genuine question, combined with a genuine tone.

How Mr. Freeze could be associated with a _'genuine question'_ and a _'genuine tone'_ is beyond human comprehension.

Maybe he _was_ capable of emotions—wait a minute, did he just ask me if I was jealous?!

Why does he keep assuming I was?!

"No, I wasn't jealous!"

"Your lies are obvious, Officer Redfield."

"I-was-not-jealous!" I ground out, balling my hands into fists.

"You must think that I was born yesterday." That's when he walks over to me _(we were inches apart because he walked ahead of me and I was trying to keep up)_. We were in the middle of an alley that was a shortcut to his car. The street lights made things not as dark, but I didn't feel comfortable walking around here.

I also…had a small phobia of alleys…which sounds stupid, since I am an officer, but it was part of my imperfection either way.

Not to mention my fear of thunderstorms.

And mice.

And other things that crawl and wiggle in the night.

He's standing right in front of me, gorgeous eyes and all.

Did I just say that…?!

Well um…I did say his eyes were gorgeous at some point but don't get carried away!

"…Don't…don't start!" That was probably the weakest retort I could produce versus this man. "I'm warning you…!"

"Then why are you stuttering?"

"It's a …defense mechanism!"

"I've seen your face on more than one occasion. It's interesting how you go from insulting me to blurting out personal comments."

"…"

Did Mr. Freeze just render me speechless?!

"I…I want to go home, right now!"

"And how do you expect to get there? Your partner in crime left you and you have no money for public transportation—"

"How do you know?!" I interrupted him. "I was prepared for something like this!"

How in the world did we go from being at each other's throats to this?!

What did I miss during this exchange?!

"No, you weren't."

"If you think I was jealous, then you are out of your freaking—"

"Your face turns red whenever we have our little arguments. Then, you were upset that Ms. Chambers and I were meeting here and you tried to talk her out of it."

"How the hell do you know about that?!" Oh no, she didn't…I mean Rebecca wouldn't!

"How else would I know? She told me everything."

That's when my face grew pale. "I…I don't know what you're trying to pull but I was not jealous and I…"

"Then prove it."

The next thing I know, I'm up against the wall of some random apartment building.

You know, because he practically walked me over there! How is this happening right now?!

What the hell is he trying to do now?!

I'm tired, I smell like a freaking kitchen and he doesn't smell any better, unless you count the faint whiff of his cologne still lingering around. Still, we both looked like we've been through a food warzone and this mission was a complete failure.

"If…you're issuing…another challenge…I'm not taking…the bait!" I stammered, refusing to stare up at him. The only thing I focused on was the ground…which was silly but right now I wasn't falling for whatever he was attempting to do!

He's unpredictable!

One minute he was angry, the next minute he's trying to get me to admit I was jealous of him and Rebecca!

"Oh, but I'm not issuing a challenge." His fingers tilted my chin, so I ended up staring at him anyway.

Did…did he just touch my chin?!

I should have slapped his hand away!

' _Oh…my…God…'_ Inner voice is freaking out. _'What the hell is going on?!'_

"I just wanted to know why you decided to do this in the first place."

"I told you, I was protecting Rebecca—"

"Why do you insist on lying?"

"Okay, that's it, I'm not riding with you! Stop being creepy!"

"Is that the best you can do?" He was being creepy without the creepy smirk!

Again, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"…Fine! I don't really think you're that bad of…well you're not that bad. It's just that…well why did you even treat me like that when we first met?! Why don't you answer that question instead of interrogating me?!"

"Because I was testing you."

I could have sworn this was the second time he used that phrase.

Testing me? For what?

"What in the world could you be testing me for in the first place?" I demanded. "I'm not even a bad person, let alone a bad cop! I do my job well! Yeah, there's kinks along the way but I made it out okay!"

"I wanted to see how long you could last as my partner. I have to say, you are an interesting case. You continue to be interesting, even after this incident."

"You're like this jigsaw puzzle I can't figure out! I hope you know that!"

"Am I?"

"Look, can you please drive me home now? It's late, we're both covered in crap and my brother's probably worried sick about me—"

"You still haven't answered my question."

"I said I wasn't jealous—"

And…this is where things get complicated.

Mr. Freeze does the unthinkable.

He kisses me.

On the lips.

I have nothing folks.

I have...absolutely nothing.

* * *

 **Rule #27** **:** _When you have a_ _partner with a mysterious personality and he kisses you in the middle of an alley, just pretend it didn't happened when it just did. That way, the disbelief doesn't cause a fatal heart-attack._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

I um...just dropped another bombshell of a cliffhanger, so I'm either going to be strangled or yelled at. Either way, stories are made of cliffhangers! I felt this was the best place to end it, considering that the next chapter is when things will definitely get serious. Remember, we still have that incident with the drug shipment and the drug lord the FBI and Claire's department are after. Then we have a wonderful trip coming up, where she gets to spend quality time with Mr. Freeze, lol.

I would like to thank everyone for the continued support so far and I hope to have this finished by Chapter 40. Let me know if you want a sequel!


	26. Chapter 26: Forces of Attraction

**Italics:** Flashbacks

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty-Six** : Forces of Attraction

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

" _In which I brought home a Mr. Freeze. This…isn't happening…I mean this can't be happening. How in the world did we end up on the floor and in my house?! And Mr. Freeze makes a startling revelation. Things can't possibly get any weirder than this...could they? I just had to freaking ask!"_

* * *

[ **Time** : 12:30 a.m]

* * *

"This…didn't just happen."

Here I am, staring at the ceiling of my living room.

You might be wondering why I'm staring at the ceiling.

Well, for one thing, I'm questioning my sanity.

And right now I have a guest lying right next to me.

And we are both…naked, except for some random gray bedroom sheet covering us. It was the one I managed to leave out while folding the laundry last weekend and didn't see it on the couch.

This is either an accident or a major coincidence.

I guess it was a major coincidence because I didn't expect this to happen, at all.

Yeah, I totally left that stupid random sheet out because I had that distinct feeling I would end up on the floor with a man I swore never to date, let alone have this weird, obsessive crush on!

That's sarcasm by the way.

You should know me by now.

Sarcasm rears it's ugly head when I'm freaking out.

Clothes are strewn all over the floor—the bell bottoms, the platform shoes, the shirt, all covered in dried marinara sauce from the standoff I had with Mr. Freeze. His clothes are tangled with mine, still covered in bits of white cheese sauce.

Ladies and gentlemen...you guessed it, I brought home a human Greek statue.

And we ended up…doing more than kissing in that alley.

I couldn't stop myself from kissing him!

One minute I was freaking out, seconds away from attempting to push him off _(keyword, attempt, because you know…height difference and he's built like a brick wall_ ), the next minute, I turned into a puddle of goo, when his hands traveled south.

Both hands, wrapped around my waist.

Then my hands ended up around his neck, drawing him close.

We were at it for ten minutes before he broke away and murmured that he tasted my lip balm again and we should go to his place.

So, I argued that I was closer, and we should go to my place instead.

We went back and forth until I snapped at him to just shut-up, so we can get out of the alley. Then he was like _'Meh, do I always tell men in my life to shut up when things don't go my way'_. Okay, he didn't use the _'meh'_ part but he honestly tries to control everything!

He's even trying to control this make out session that shouldn't even be going on in the first place!

We ended up in my house, kissing, tearing at clothes, and kissing some more. Well, it was more like I was hissing for him to keep it down and he was assaulting my freaking neck. Then I couldn't get the rest of the words out because of the moan that threatened to cripple me.

And then we toppled over, with a thud.

I...really hope I don't have a hicky. Hickies were deadly and they were hard to cover up. I don't even want to think about Lydia and Vanessa's reactions if they saw it!

My denial over this whole ordeal is bouncing off the Richter scale.

Right now, I'm begging the unnamed deity to keep Chris upstairs in his bed, that way he doesn't get _'curious'_ for a midnight snack and catches us on the floor. I can see it now…Chris attempting to tackle Mr. Freeze _**NFL** style_ , only to end up crashing through the window. Then the whole incident wakes up the entire neighborhood and Ms. Schwartz spreads the rumors around that I'm sleeping with an FBI agent.

But since when did the unnamed deity show kindness to me?! I blame this deity for my accidental slips and failures!

This isn't supposed to be happening!

I know, I've said this several times, but how did I end up in his arms?!

We were mortal enemies! I swore never to ever fall for this man or give him the time of day!

Sure, we were partners _(against my will),_ but this was forbidden! How could I let him have his way with me?!

What if he was right all along?

What if I couldn't resist him?!

What if I end up like a vegetable, drooling at the very ground he stands on?!

Again, I'm reminded of that blasted pen incident!

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

" _I require a pen, Officer Redfield."_

 _If I wasn't locked in this stupid challenge with Mr. Freeze, I wouldn't have even hesitated glaring at him in a heartbeat._

 _A tall, looming presence stood over my desk, ruining the peace and quiet I so desperately craved. I was in the middle of my fourth paragraph, seconds away from screaming, yanking my monitor from the various wires it was attached to and throwing it out the window._

 _Of course, Mr. Freeze wasn't making things any better. He was wearing his usual 'Agent Smith' suit, complete with a mustard colored tie. That expensive cologne was filling up my personal space, not to mention his aftershave._

 _Just great._

" _Don't you have a box of them somewhere on your desk or in your drawers instead of nagging me?!" I retorted, willing myself to just look at the screen._

' _Do not engage the enemy.' Inner voice warns me. 'Whatever you do,_ ** _DO NOT_** _engage the enemy! Don't you dare give him the satisfaction of making you stare at him! You've been doing well so far!'_

" _What the hell do I look like, the mistress and keeper of blue and black ink?! Go bug someone else!"_

 _With the way I'm staring, it seems like I'm just yapping to my computer screen._

" _But your desk is closer," Mr. Freeze said, and I could have sworn people were staring in our direction. I mean, its bad enough that everyone knows he's my partner but for him to be near my desk?!_

 _He never comes near my desk!_

 _He's either on his phone, out of the office or just sitting there, ignoring me, which is like a breath of fresh air! And now he's here, ready to cause hell on earth._

 _What a brilliant life I have right now!_

 _I'm sure everyone wants my life!_

 _This is the phenomenon known as_ _ **'Livin' La Vida Loca'.**_

 _When my life is becoming this insane, it's only a miracle that I'm not confined to the crazy jacket, frothing at the mouth like a cannibal on steroids._

" _Why should I neglect to ask my dear partner first? Surely you have one to spare?"_

 _Okay, I wasn't born yesterday!_

 _He's trying to force me to look at him, but Claire Redfield is not going down today or any other day! Oh no, no, no, he is not pulling that crap on me!_

 _He has some nerve!_

" _I'm busy! And stop talking like that! I am not your 'dear partner'! You're being creepy, as usual!"_

 _"Creepy?" Mr. Freeze cocked his head sideways. "How is asking for a pen creepy? And how else was I supposed to address you? I highly doubt that you are that busy to not take five minutes of your time to lend me a pen."_

" _I know what you're trying to do…" I hissed. "…but it's not going to work on me! I've been avoiding you so far so call off this stupid challenge while you still have the chance!"_

 _How can he act so freaking innocent and yet conniving at the same time?!_

 _The smoothness in his tone was disgusting. "I have no idea what you're referring to. I asked for a pen and you decided to act hostile for no reason at all. It must be another case of waking up on the wrong side of the bed. That's been happening a lot lately, hasn't it?"_

" _Oh sure, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed! No, it couldn't be that you're driving me insane! Absolutely not! You're my perfect little partner who can never go wrong!"_

" _I'm not driving you insane Officer Redfield. I've been perfectly civil ever since we met. I would say that your interpretation of me is a delusional ploy to reassure yourself that you're clearly sane. As I've mentioned before, perhaps you woke up on the wrong side of the bed."_

" _I'll show you a wrong side of the bed if you don't go away!"_

" _Are you threatening me again? Your threats never work Officer Redfield. Either your memory short circuits or you choose to ignore that simple fact."_

 _My nails dug into the wood of my desk._

 _ **That…that…THAT FREAKING…!**_

 _I couldn't even fathom a rebuttal right now. Even my inner voice was transformed into mush. If I answered right now, my words will be incoherent, with the likeness of a rampaging cave woman._

 _Instead, I took the deepest breath I could possibly muster in a situation like this._

" _Officer Wesker…" I began in the sweetest voice (and I cringed at saying his name, even though we agreed that he was Mr. Freeze the minute we met. But unfortunately, sacrifices have to be made) I was known for when I was trying to keep my inner Redfield rage in check. "…I'm sure I'm not the only one you could ask for a pen. Now please, withdraw from my desk, otherwise I may be forced to do or say something I'll regret. And you really wouldn't like when I'm angry."_

 _I waited, expecting Mr. Freeze to back off, but then again this was like asking a lion to step away from its prey._

 _Nope, he doesn't heed my warning._

 _He just makes himself home at the edge of my desk, complete with that fake smile he's 'oh so famous' for. And the desk made a small creak under his weight, just for good measure._

 _My eyes travel to my L.A.P.D bottle that's filled with cold, refreshing water. I got it from some local charity event where our department was involved._

 _Every day, I needed my aqua pronto when it came to menial office work. Los Angeles heat was brutal and showed little mercy to even an officer of the law. Thankfully there were only a few times where the air conditioners broke down but when they did, the office turned into the Sahara Desert._

 _And that handy bottle of water was about to be dumped on Mr. Freeze if he didn't move, Chief Randall be damned._

" _I will disarm you if you attempt that." His gaze wandered over to my bottle as well, as if he knew what I was planning in an instant. "And trust me, it will be disastrous on your part. Imagine the embarrassment that will yield. I wouldn't mind handcuffing you to this chair. In fact, it would be the most amusing part of the day. Also, your retort is as harmless as a feather."_

* * *

[ **Present** ]

* * *

I ended up staring at him and I didn't mean to! And then his voice gets all…you know!

What have I done?!

"…You're adorable when you're in denial." Mr. Freeze was staring at the ceiling as well. "I find it very interesting, actually."

"I'm not in denial about anything!" Why does he keep assuming that I'm in denial about something?! He has this way of dissecting every little thing I say and knowing exactly what I meant! I mean, yes I was in denial about us being on the floor of my house naked but I didn't want to exactly admit to it!

"I believe your exact words were _'this didn't just happen'_. That sounds like denial to me."

"You don't get to psychoanalyze me, okay?"

"I don't have to psychoanalyze you. Your case study speaks for itself."

"I know what I said, and I was right about that! This shouldn't be happening! You're…the last man on the planet I would ever sleep with!"

"And yet, here we are."

"I'm serious!"

"I'm serious as well."

"You're arrogant, rude, manipulative, and you have more mood swings than anyone I've ever known!"

"Did it ever occur to you that I found you attractive as well?" Yes, that was his exact response and did he just change the subject?!

Where did that come from?!

How does he keep doing that?!

There's no possible way I heard him say those words.

I must have heard a ghost say that...not this man lying next to me.

"How were you attracted to me when you tried making my life a living hell?!" He has some nerve!

"I've had partners who were either incompetent cretins or wasted my valuable time. You, on the other hand are different. I'm surprised you've kept up with our partnership this long."

Wait a minute...did Mr. Freeze hit his head or something?!

I mean, we did tumble to the floor and if it wasn't for his reflexes, he would have landed head first on the coffee table I had in the middle of the living room.

I couldn't answer him.

I was too busy pretending that this whole incident didn't exist.

"You pretended that you had everything figured out between us, when in the end, you couldn't resist me." He continues, as if he's enjoying my stunned silence. "Your face changes color whenever we have our little arguments. You blurt things out and try to deny them afterwards. Testing you did have it's little quirks after all."

My jaw threatens to dislocate from my face, again.

"My face doesn't change color! What the hell are you implying?!" I found my voice after gaping like a fish for two whole seconds.

"An intelligent woman of your caliber should have no problem reading between the lines. And I would stop denying your color change whenever we have our little conversations, if I were you."

He didn't just say that.

I mean, he couldn't have, right?

Denial mode is still ongoing.

 _I am not attracted to him…!_

' _Yes you are Claire…'_ Inner voice giggles. _'Denial doesn't really change what just happened already.'_

 _'Shut up! I'm not attracted to him!'_

 _'Are you seriously going to deny that seeing him shirtless for the first time didn't cause a chain reaction?'_

"My life…will never be the same again..." My voice goes into zombie mode, monotone, and completely out of it. "...what have you done to me…?"

"I haven't done anything." I felt his smirk on me the minute he turns away from the ceiling to stare at me. "I told you that I would win our little challenge in that cafe. You should have known better than to challenge me."

I found myself turning away from the ceiling to stare at him. Heavens, he was too attractive for his own good. Stunning blue eyes, sharp, masculine features...wait, what the hell am I doing?! Why am I analyzing this man in the first place?!

Again, my face heats up like a firecracker during the fourth of July.

I should not be reacting this way!

I blame Chief Randall and Jill for this! If he didn't just decided for himself I needed a new partner and Jill didn't freaking leave me in that restaurant/cafe, this whole thing would just be a wet dream that came out of nowhere! If only Mr. Freeze wasn't such an arrogant piece of work! We could have gotten along much better without the whole dramatic _'love/hate'_ relationship!

Oh God, don't tell me that I'm attracted to his arrogance too! How am I attracted to this man's arrogance in the first place?

Wait, there's too many how's in this scenario.

Great, now this is like a _'who, what, when, where, and how'_ episode in my already deranged life.

Why do I have a feeling that Rebecca planned this?! What if she knew that Jill and I were planning on spying on her and Mr. Freeze and formulated a counter plan of her own? I mean, yeah, she was smart but to pull this off?! I blame her for this whole incident too! And then she mentioned the whole crush thing with Mr. Freeze present!

Why do I have another bad feeling that I was unconsciously attracted to this man the entire time we were partners?!

I didn't have an answer for his declaration of victory. The only thing I could do at this point was get him out of my house as soon as possible.

"You should uh…go to your place…" I managed to stutter, forcing myself to not stare at him anymore, which easier said than done. "I...uh...need my beauty sleep and...um... we have to be in the office soon…"

I tried to get up, but his arm snakes around my waist and yanks me back down to the floor.

"Eeek!" I squealed, but immediately covered my mouth when I realized how loud it was.

You didn't hear a squeal from my lips.

 _You heard nothing!_

"What's the rush?" He murmured. I end up in his arms and pressed up against his body again, while my nose threatens to explode from an incoming nosebleed. Please tell me that he's not about to do what I think he's about to do…?!

His voice suddenly had that sleepy tone to it.

Oh no...

This…is a bad sign.

Somehow, he was about to use me as a pillow, so he could get his beauty sleep!

"Oh no you don't!" I hissed, struggling to get out of his arms, but it was like trying to remove a heavy tree trunk with your bare hands. "We can't lay down here like this! My brother is going to see us the minute he wakes up and comes down here to leave for work! And…and we can't be late! Chief Randall—"

"Shut-up Redfield…" He cuts me off, giving me a sleepy, raised blond eyebrow. "…you talk too much."

My eyes widened to the point I had to do a double take on what he just said. Did he just say that I talk too much?! "Now I know you didn't just say that to me!"

"And what if I did?" His face ends up buried in my hair. "What do you intend to do about it?"

"You…you…oaf!"

"Oaf? I'm glad that you've found a new insult to use against me. The frozen television dinner comments were boring. But even then, your oaf comments will get old as well." Well...his body was pleasantly warm—okay Claire, bad thoughts, bad thoughts!

"You…!"

"Your hair has that distinct smell of apples and strawberries. Not bad…actually." Here he goes, changing the subject again! I'm lying on the floor again, with his arm snaked across my waist and snuggling right next to me.

I...really shouldn't have used that _L'Oreal_ shampoo this morning!

"I hate you…so much…" I managed to utter through gritted teeth, but I hear snoring on his end. It's that light snoring that makes him look like a little five-year-old kid during nap-time. Come to think of it, he doesn't look so intimidating from that angle...wait, what the hell am I thinking?!

 _Bad Claire, bad Claire!_

But that reprimand didn't stop me. No, I found myself staring at his torso. There were faint scars, healed and leaving a mark that was whiter than the rest of his body. It did remind me of his portfolio and how much military training he held over the course of his career.

And...I have no idea why I'm studying his scars.

Or the six pack.

What the hell am I doing?!

' _Well, you finally bed the man Claire.'_ Inner voice teases. _'It was bound to happen sooner or later. That unseen force of attraction…'_

' _Shut up!'_

My head smacks against the floor with a soft thud and I end up staring at the ceiling once again.

I was ensnared in this man's web of arrogance and mystery.

And there was no escape.

* * *

[ **Friday** ]

* * *

[ **Time** : 7:00 a.m]

* * *

I was picking at my orange juice.

No, it's not like my fingers were inside the glass. I was just stirring around the freaking pulp with a straw. Meanwhile, across the table, Mr. Freeze was reading the local newspaper, with a fresh cup of Joe in front of him.

He left my house at three in the morning, by the way. That left me with just four hours of sleep before he returned to pick me up.

The whole car ride to the cafe was as silent as a pin, unless you count the world news. I was too busy thinking about the fact we literally had sex and he was focused on the road.

And he was the one who suggested driving me to my favorite cafe!

Here I am, dressed in my black business pants suit with a burgandy shirt that matched my hair color, while he's wearing the same prevelant black suit with a white shirt and a tie that was just as blue as his frozen eyes. Hair is devoid of that dried white sauce mess and is slicked to perfection, yet again.

I don't think we even spoke to each other this morning.

I mean, unless you count him opening the door for me and saying _'ladies first'_ with that usual smirk plastered on his face.

That's it, I can't take this silence anymore!

"Well?" I demanded, glaring at the newspaper he was engrossed in.

The blasted paper never left his freaking face. "Well what?"

"You're just going to ignore what happened between us last night?!" I shot back.

"Why would I ignore it?" He's still reading.

"You...you used me as a pillow!" I point a shaky finger at him.

"You felt comfortable at the time. I don't see why it bothered you so much." He murmurs.

"How do you keep doing these things?!" I snapped.

"Your adorable nature allows me to do it." Okay, I'm just going to ignore that _'adorable'_ part because it's creepy hearing that from him!

Why does he make simple words sound so creepy?!

"You're not the least upset by this?! You know, the whole restaurant thing? One minute we were at each other's throats, the next minute we had sex! Does this even bother you in any way? What are we anyway? Frenemies? Partners with benefits?!"

"You enjoyed it. As for the restaurant incident, I have yet to make you pay for that. Last night was only the beginning of your punishment." Great, now the cold Mr. Monotone voice is back!

I could have sworn a lump made it's way towards my throat. "Uh...what...?"

"I don't believe I stuttered, Officer Redfield."

What the hell is that supposed to mean?!

You see, this is another reason why I have to get back at Jill for leaving me behind! If she didn't freak out and ran off, this whole thing wouldn't have happened!

Before I could utter another word, Wendy comes over to take our orders for the day. She has this new short hairstyle, where most of her dark hair is leaning on the right side of her face. Now I don't know if she's trying to get Mr. Freeze to notice her or not, but she wasn't doing a good job because one thing, he didn't even acknowledge her wink and two, he didn't even acknowledge the morning special she was advertising in her own _'Wendified'_ way.

I would snort at this whole thing if I didn't feel awkward about the fact that I had sex with this man!

"So...what would you two like to have this morning?" She uses the sweet, peppermint coated voice she's known for when she's after something. Okay, I didn't know Wendy that well, but she was about an eight on the _'Must impress tall, attractive men'_ scale.

Every attractive man that entered the cafe, she was on the prowl to impress them. The shirt looks tighter than usual, and her voice is dripping with added sweetner.

I almost felt sorry for her.

 _Almost._

"I'm not hungry." Mr. Freeze mutters from the newspaper.

Wendy's face transforms to the color of a rose. "...Okay...um...so, what about you Claire?"

My mouth feels like sandpaper the minute I'm about to order. "...Um...I'll take the... **USUAL**!"

My voice suddenly goes into high pitched mode. I jumped in my seat, nearly spilling the orange juice all over my suit. I could have sworn Mr. Freeze's dress shoe traveled up to one of my legs.

No, I didn't just imagine that!

I just stared in his direction.

His face still hasn't left the newspaper!

And Wendy is giving me that strange look. "Uh...Claire, are you...okay...?"

"Just peachy!" I squeaked a response, turning away and giving her my best smile. "I'm...peachy! Just fine...! Um...you know what? I'll be right back! I need to use the little girl's room...pronto! I um...yeah! Just get me the usual!"

I leapt out of my seat and made a beeline for the bathroom.

What in the world was that?!

* * *

 **Rule #28** : _Mr. Freeze is a true psycho. My life will never, ever be the same again. In other words, I must have set the world record for the fastest woman alive to hit the bathroom running._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

And...another chapter down! I was going to include the shootout in this chapter but I decided that it was better reserved for the next chapter.

I know the story is a slow burn, but I hate rushed romance stories in fanfiction. You see, you need to have the relationship blossom first. Once it blossoms, then everything falls into place.


	27. Chapter 27: Of Pep Talks and Rumbles

**Italics:** Flashbacks, Thoughts

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven** : Of Pep Talks and Rumbles

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

" _In which, a pep talk in the cafe does absolutely nothing to stop Mr. Freeze from torturing me and I find out that my former partner was undercover all along during this drug shipment raid. Remember our little rendezvous with the nightclub? Yeah, that case is still ongoing. Just to top off this frosted cupcake with a cherry, he somehow knows Mr. Freeze and they're about to royal rumble…after a shootout! Being stuck in the middle of two attractive, arguing men is not the way I wanted to end a Monday night!"_

* * *

[ **Time** : 8:15 a.m]

* * *

I feel like I'm in the middle of a Superbowl downtime. You know, when the coaches are giving their teams advice on how to proceed on the field _(or in my brother's case, a battlefield. He gets really technical during these football games)_.

Well, here I am, my back pressed against the wall in the corner, terrified of even getting back out there and eating my breakfast that Wendy just delivered.

True enough, I rushed to the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face, paced back and forth like a madwoman and tried to assure myself that I brushed my foot against the table and it wasn't Officer Wesker's foot against my leg.

Wait a minute, I'm not calling him Mr. Freeze anymore.

I really am…going insane.

' _Okay, I should just go back out there…'_ I'm reasoning with myself for the millionth time. _'Just take a deep breath, pretend nothing happened and eat your freaking breakfast. You're acting like a freaking child Claire! Get it together woman!'_

' _You're going to spaz out if you go back to that table.'_ Inner voice says, just to make my life hell. _'You should try and sneak out of the café and get to the office as soon as possible. Chances are, the buses might be merciful and…'_

' _I am not waiting for a bus! The bus stop's in front of the café!'_ I argued. _'He's going to see me right there and then it's going to make things more awkward than they already are!'_

' _You just slept with a man you swore never to lay eyes on in the first place.'_ Inner voice points out, like I'm not aware of the whole situation. _'I'd say you're still doomed either way.'_

' _Okay, I'm going out there! I'm not a chicken! I handled him once and I'll handle him again!'_

I peeked around the corner, just to see if he's still reading that newspaper. Instead, I'm greeted with him drinking his coffee and the paper is folded neatly on the side.

My face already feels like a volcano.

Why does my face keep reacting like that?!

' _Well?'_ Inner voice questions. _'Get out there!'_

And…I'm scurrying for the comfort of the wall.

My legs refuse to move.

They're like gelatin before you add the flavoring to a nice batch of Jell-O.

This is ridiculous!

I have never, and I mean never acted like this around a man before!

Not even Kennedy!

It's just so stupid to see how I'm acting when my breakfast is getting cold and we need to be in the office soon! This is like being in high school, where you're about to face your hot teacher and you're on the verge of a cataclysmic meltdown!

Okay…now that mental image of that man being a teacher and me being a student is ingrained in my head.

Great timing Claire!

Next thing you'll be thinking about is getting spanked with a ruler!

 _Okay, stop thinking, stop thinking right now! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts!_

"Um…Claire, why are you leaning against the wall?"

"Gah!" I nearly jumped out of my skin upon hearing the voice. Wendy's standing there, with two plates in tow. My hand flies to my chest in an unsuccessful attempt to calm my racing heart that's seconds away from leaping out and running out of the café. "Don't freaking do that Wendy!"

"Do what?" Wendy asks, and her voice is loud enough to startle the two diners nearby.

"That!" I dragged her away from her potential customer and off to the side, causing her to nearly drop the plates.

"Claire…! What in the world…Claire!" I swear, Wendy's voice can shatter a mirror.

"Shhh!" My hand clamps down on her mouth before she could utter another word. "Would you stop talking so loud?!"

"Mmf!" Wendy retorts, giving me a dirty look but I ignore her. Again, I peeked around the corner.

Only…for my pale blue-gray eyes to meet Antarctica.

Complete with a raised eyebrow.

He's zeroing in on me from across the freaking café! Whether this was plain coincidence or he's just psychic, I have no clue. We're staring for a good two minutes before I swallowed hard and ducked back in.

"Mmf, mmf!" Wendy nips one of my fingers, causing me to yelp and yank my hand away.

"What the heck was that for?!" I was nursing my index finger, and I was lucky she didn't break the skin.

Wendy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Excuse me, you had your hand covering my mouth! What in the world is going on and why are you hiding against a freaking wall? I thought you needed to use the restroom?"

"…I-can't-sit-with-him." I mumbled that sentence so quickly that even Wendy didn't catch a word I just said.

"Wait…what?"

"…I said…I-can't-sit-with-him!"

"Huh? What did you say?"

"I-can't-sit-with-him." I mumbled a bit louder and slower.

Wendy finally hears me. "…Who?"

"Him! You know, at the table I was sitting at! That…person!"

"Uh…that really hot partner you have now?"

"Stop that already!" There goes dramatic Claire again, being dramatic again. You know, someday I should just try for a Broadway show, just to see how far I get as a successful actress.

But then again, I wouldn't be a cop anymore.

Maybe it's for the best, that way I can salvage what's left of my life that hasn't been shattered by that…well…person sitting out there.

Great, now I'm fluctuating between calling him Mr. Freeze and that man!

I did let an occasional _'Officer Wesker'_ squeak by, didn't I?

 _Oh no…_

"Stop what?" Wendy retorts. "You should be proud to have a hot man like that! That reminds me of all that stuff you were telling me about – with him being this former CIA and instructor and—"

"Would you stop!" I didn't need this right now!

"What? I'm just saying that—"

"You do realize that he just ignores you, right?" I cut her off mid-sentence.

My response didn't sit too well with her because she just narrowed her eyes. "Yes Claire, I'm perfectly aware of that! Thanks for bringing it up! You know, I'm not even going to ask why you're so scared to go back out there and eat your breakfast, but you can stay against this wall all day for all I care!"

And with that, Wendy storms off.

"Wendy, wait!" I made the mistake of pulling away from that wall because again, my eyes came across the Arctic Sea.

This time, I was greeted with a smirk.

I think…my stomach would win a perfect ten in the Olympics.

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

"Your odd habits are truly fascinating."

That's the first thing he says to me the minute I managed to navigate my way back to the table.

I mean, let's face it.

* * *

 **1.** _I wasn't making it out of the café without him noticing me._

 **2.** _My stomach not only did a perfect backflip, it was growling from a lack of food._

 **3.** _I had no choice but to sit there and pray nothing else happens, you know, aside from him rubbing his foot against my leg! And do I really have to remind you of what happened last night?_

* * *

"Shut-up…" I mumbled under my breath and grabbed my fork. "…stupid pain the neck psychotic masochist…"

"Ah, some fresh insults." He finishes his coffee and sets the mug down. "I was wondering about them, actually."

I jumped.

Okay, that wasn't meant for him to hear and I was mumbling to my plate with my head down!

"What? I didn't say anything!" I'm staring at him with the deer-in the-headlights look.

"I'm not deaf, Officer Redfield."

"Okay, well you heard wrong!" I stuffed eggs in my mouth just for good measure. "You…didn't…even…hear…me! My…mouth…was…full!"

"I would be careful with eating with your mouth full. I may have to use first aid if you choke." He grins.

The eggs nearly traveled down the wrong windpipe, but I managed to chew and swallow before I had to deal with his mouth on top of mine.

I told you he was evil!

"Ha-ha I forgot to laugh." I said, dry humor intact. "What makes you think I'll let you try CPR…" Then I remembered the whole floor incident last night. "…never mind…"

"I could remind you about last night..."

"No, I don't need a reminder of last night! And we don't need to talk about it in public!"

"You seemed so interested in discussing it before."

"…I hate you."

"I don't believe you do."

"You are so…annoying."

"I believe you've mentioned that before."

"Well I'm mentioning it again."

He just laughs while I rolled my eyes and stuffed another helping of eggs before I went into rant mode.

"Your friend is annoying." And just like that, he does the thing he's infamous for.

And…there goes the laugh.

"…Who?" I asked, pretending to be dumbfounded but I knew he was referring to Wendy. I mean, who else tries to hit on every attractive male that shows up in the café?

"Wendy Davis."

Okay, I'm not even asking how he even knew her full name because that would be ignoring the whole former CIA thing.

"Um…I think she's okay…" I said. "…did you know her dad and the owner's dad worked here back in the seventies? It was under another name and they've been around for years—"

"I don't care." He cuts me off. "I informed her that if she tries to flirt with me again, she will lose her job."

That's when a mini explosion hits the table. In other words, I sputtered out what was left of my scrambled eggs in my mouth. "…What?!"

Okay, Wendy may have stormed off in my time of need but I still didn't want her to lose her job! Wait a minute, what _did_ happen while I was in the bathroom?! I mean, aside from him saying she was flirting?

"You can't get people fired from their jobs!" I just stared at him like he was a madman _(which he was...well_ _most of the time anyway)_. "Are you insane? What could she had possibly done for you to even do that?"

"Why?" Mr. Freeze asks.

"Because she probably has kids to support! You know, normal stuff!"

"If she isn't doing her job, I don't see the problem."

"She is!" I argued. "She just gets a little tipsy around some men!"

"Then you two must be related."

Related?!

What the hell did he mean by related?! I'm pretty sure I just had a brother growing up and my parents didn't give birth to a sister!

"Related how?" I demanded. "We're just mutual friends!"

"You both have very odd habits."

…Oh.

I should have known he was going to say something like that.

With that said, he grins and gets up from the table. "I would also hurry up and finish. Unless, of course you don't mind waiting for the bus. I will warn you, they're running extra slow today."

He leaves.

Flabbergasted isn't even the first word that comes to mind right now.

Did I just have a conversation with this man that didn't involve me threatening bodily harm?

Maybe I should be grateful he didn't ask about what Wendy and I were discussing over in the corner.

* * *

[ **Monda y**]

* * *

There's a good explanation why I'm standing between my old partner and my current partner.

You might be wondering where in the world did Kennedy come from and why they're staring each other down in the middle of _Los Angeles Bay_. You might even be wondering what happened for the rest of my day on Friday and the weekend.

Well, for one thing, they knew each other and secondly, Kennedy was undercover.

Which we didn't know about…at all.

I guess people were right when they say the FBI was full of wonderful surprises.

Well Friday was like any typical Friday, minus the whole relationship crisis between Mr. Freeze and I. Okay, yes, I'm still calling him Mr. Freeze because using _'Officer Wesker'_ feels too weird off my tongue now. In fact, everything involving this man up to this point is weird.

We had paperwork, and a breakthrough in the drug shipment case that involved Sanchez. We got an anonymous source that noted that the drug shipment was still going down and it would be on Monday, at eleven o'clock at the _Los Angeles Bay_. Of course, Chief Randall didn't know where this anonymous source came from and it was suspected that the shipment was still going down because the setup _'rattled'_ us enough to not investigate further.

Or Sanchez is a daredevil.

I wouldn't be surprised.

I mean he did evade capture by the FBI and the other agencies after him for years.

And on top of that, he probably bribed his way around at the same time. It's interesting how I've never heard of this guy until now, where Mr. Freeze and I are working on this case together.

So anyway, aside from that major news, we only had one situation where a woman reported her car being missing. It was suggested that the local police can handle it but she assumed it was her rebel teenager daughter that took it.

Turns out that she was right.

She pretty much led Mr. Freeze and I on a wild goose chase, until she crashed into a lamppost. By the time we got her out of that car, she was high on prescription drugs and looked like a gothic vampire. I mean, she was into the dark metal and the whole emo getup. She was taken to the hospital for some minor scratches _(she's lucky to be alive)_ , and the prescription overdose.

She was charged with reckless endangerment and unlawful use of prescription drugs.

Cue the mother coming in and balling her eyes out, while I looked a bit sympathetic and Mr. Freeze was disgusted. I was sympathetic because the girl had just lost her father two weeks ago to cancer and was taking it hard. Mr. Freeze was disgusted because he felt the mother didn't prevent this whole thing in the first place.

There was some hope for the girl at the local courts, so hopefully she wasn't up for serious prison time or anything like that. I mean, she was only fifteen years old and had a bright future ahead of her. Despite the whole getup, she did great in school and was into poetry and literature. From what we learned from the mother and from the public records, she was never in any kind of trouble until the prescription drugs found in her system today.

Either way, I wished the best for her.

Wow, and who knew Mr. Freeze had a heart?

I…guess he's not so…bad?

I saw him talk to this girl and she had a grateful smile on her face. It must have been advice, which I wasn't surprised about. Seeing him with his daughter in that restaurant weeks ago was a sign that he was good with kids. Wow, I guess that somewhere in that cold, weirdo heart, there's a man with a compassionate soul.

Aside from that piece of action, we just had the usual paperwork and he drove me home.

We still haven't discussed the whole sex incident by the way.

Chris was waiting for me the minute I came through the door and makes a note about hearing strange noises some time ago and who in the world was that who dropped me home.

I wasn't about to remind him of Mr. Freeze's car.

We had some late-night dinner – Chinese takeout.

" _So…what happened on Thursday?"_ He asks, his mouth filled with lo mien.

"… _What happened like what?"_ I asked, reaching for chopsticks across the table. _"And don't eat with your mouth full."_

Chris swallows and rambles on. _"I heard some weird noises…and it sounded like you and some guy—"_

" _Are you sure you weren't having a wet dream?"_ I joked, cutting him off before he got overly curious. _"I usually hear strange noises in your room too."_

" _Ha-ha, very funny."_ He grumbles and shoves another helping of lo mien in his mouth.

Whew.

Crisis averted.

I didn't even let him hear the sigh of relief that came out as soon as he changed the subject.

Aside from that, my weekend was spent apologizing to Rebecca and Jill. I was careful not to let Rebecca know what happened, so it was just me telling her that yes, I was wrong for spying on her and I shouldn't have assumed that Mr. Freeze brought her to that café/restaurant just to flirt with her. She accepted my apology and apologized for leaving me there with the dried-up mistletoe.

My face turned into a lava pool the minute she said that.

Then I had to apologize to Jill and she rambled on for an hour on the phone, saying that she warned me, and this was a valuable lesson.

" _And another thing! You're lucky he didn't cripple you!"_ Jill rants over the phone. _"He's an ex—military guy!"_

You know…I'm not even going to let her know that there was no way that Mr. Freeze would cripple me that easily.

But for the most part, I stayed home and watched some movies with popcorn in a bowl. No creepy encounters with Mr. Freeze, he didn't call me, and no brother puking on me in the middle of the kitchen.

It was just a calm weekend.

Then…we reach Monday.

 _Operation Blackwater_ begins, and we had a briefing prior to the assignment. I guess it was named that way because of the fact it was the bay area.

 _"This is a Code Red situation."_ Chief Randall states, sipping from his cup of Joe and sets the mug down on the podium stand. We're in the briefing room, surrounded by guys from the S.W.A.T division _(Solomon included, and he sat far away from me and Mr. Freeze)_ and the tech guys. _"We need to apprehend these suspects and stop this shipment. I expect everyone to work together to make it happen."_

He stares in my direction with his Clint Eastwood glare.

I gave him a good ol' thumbs up from where I was sitting.

I could have sworn Mr. Freeze sighed.

So, we dispatched around ten o'clock in the evening, waiting for any signs of bad guys showing up. The tech guys were ready, the S.W.A.T was ready, and me and Mr. Freeze were ready.

I chewed some Dentyne gum for good luck and found myself offering him some.

" _Your fascination with sweets is intriguing, but I think I'll pass."_ He said with a smirk.

I have no idea why my face heats up like this anymore.

As predicted, bad guys showed up and it was only a matter of time before we sprung into action.

That leads to why my old partner and Mr. Freeze are about to rumble. Kennedy was undercover as one of the delivery guys of the drugs, a large shipment of drugs in exchange for a boatload of cash. I counted off my head twenty guys in total, ten on Kennedy's side, ten on the other side.

I should have known that face from anywhere the minute he showed up in a flashy silver colored suit with a dark tie and sunglasses. The guys receiving the goods must have known this was a setup because they didn't trust the fact that one guy _'representing'_ Sanchez showed up. The next thing we knew, fists and kicks were flying, and guns were drawn.

Now, it's hard to really describe what goes on in a shootout. There's chaos, people yelling, people getting shot, and a lot of anger.

That's what unfolded by the _Los Angeles Bay_ tonight.

Pure unadulterated chaos.

I was used to it because I've busted drug shipments before. But dealing with Mr. Freeze and Kennedy was a whole second level on its own. Okay, I was shocked that Kennedy was even here to begin with. I knew he was working for the FBI but to find out he was our hidden informant and he was involved in this case was heavy.

Heavier than whipped cream on an icecream sundae.

You know, maybe I should suggest sundaes with cherries, chocolate fudge and bananas. That way, everyone can take a chill pill and relax.

…That's not going to work, is it?

"I should have known Randall would have placed you with her." Kennedy's arms are folded and he's staring at Mr. Freeze with the deadliest of glares. "What the hell are you doing in Los Angeles? What, they got tired of your crap in Washington so they sent you here?"

"Should I even ask how you two know each other—" I began, but they ignored me and Mr. Freeze interrupts my questioning.

This...can't be good.

"I should ask you the same thing." Mr. Freeze answers and his arms are folded across his chest too. "Good to know that the FBI still has their secretive ways. A high-profile case and yet they choose to play games. How long were they going to hold out before they informed us that you were undercover?"

I should probably remind you of Kennedy's good looks. Brownish/blond hair that's comb neatly on both sides, with one side leaning towards his face, and some natural blue eyes to die for.

And…they were narrowed right now.

"You should be the last one to talk. Claire, did this asshole do anything to you?"

"Leon, I think you should relax—"

"Chief Randall is out of his damn mind replacing me with this psycho!"

"Psycho?" Mr. Freeze chuckles, but it's not that type of chuckle he uses for teasing me. It's the kind of chuckle that screams _'he's not in a good mood and you better not be in the way'_. "You always tend to make our conversations interesting, even during the academy."

"I've always hated your guts you son of a—"

"Guys, can we not do this right now?" I'm holding my arms out with my hands against their chests to prevent them from going postal with me in the crossfire. "We just busted a shipment and this isn't the time to—"

"You're predictable, as always." Mr. Freeze ignores me, as if I'm not even there. "All talk and no bite."

"And you're still the snobbish piece of work I remembered years ago."

This, my friends, is what we call a very awkward moment.

And it's very rare that I'm caught in these situations…at least until Mr. Freeze entered my life.

"Your humor is still intact, I see. Tell me, how is Ada these days? I would have never expected her to poison another man, but here you are. I would have expected you to be better than this Kennedy but I was wrong."

Wait, where have I heard that name before?!

And what does she have to do with anything?

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

 _"I suggest that you don't play this game with me Ada…" Who the heck Ada was, I was about to find out soon enough. "…our daughter doesn't need to be involved in your pathetic agenda. I look forward to seeing you in court, where I'm sure you'll look foolish in front of the judge."_

 _I nearly choked over my spit._

 _He really **was** married!_

* * *

[ **Present** ]

* * *

Right...Mr. Freeze's ex-wife.

Wait, is Kennedy dating her or something? Not that I had any objections to his love life or anything but if he was dating Mr. Freeze's ex-wife, this...wasn't good at all.

These two were about to kill each other.

The minute Mr. Freeze says that, all hell breaks loose. As suspected, they went at it, which got the S.W.A.T guys trying to hold them back, me included. Count Chief Randall finding out about this whole charade and he's not happy at all, considering that we were all tired and this case was far from over.

Yeah, this is not how I wanted to end a tiring Monday night, filled with bullets, bad guys in custody and trying to stay alive during that shootout.

I need an aspirin before my head explodes.

Pronto.

* * *

 **Rule #29** : _This is not a good time to sing that song 'everybody was kung-fu fighting'..._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

Uh-oh, what **_does_** Ada have to do with Leon? And will Claire stop these two from going for each other's throats?!

I had a lot of fun writing this, and I mean a _**lot**_ of fun. Between Claire freaking out and not knowing whether to call her new partner Mr. Freeze or _'him'_ , or _'that man'_ , and Leon entering the picture suddenly, the next chapters are going to be very, very interesting.


	28. Chapter 28: Drama Llama!

**Italics:** Thoughts

* * *

 **. . . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight** : Drama Llama!

 **. . . . . .**

* * *

" _In which I played negotiator for these two idiots. Oh, did I call Mr. Freeze an idiot? Yes, he's an idiot and I'm going to say that right to his face! And Kennedy's an idiot too because he's too stubborn for his own good! Come to think of it…both are stubborn! And then I'm faced with drama on top of everything else. Of all the things I go through..."_

* * *

[ **Tuesday** ]

* * *

"You two…are unbelievable. I can't believe I'm in here, trying to play negotiator!"

Mr. Freeze and Kennedy are sitting across from each other in the interrogation room. Mr. Freeze's arms are folded, and Kennedy's clicking a random black pen he found on the mahogany table the minute we came in. It was one of our L.A.P.D pens with the logo intact. Kennedy tends to do that when he's annoyed, or stressed out so I knew all of his tendencies. He was clicking that blasted pen for a good number of minutes, but the sound didn't really bother me, not even when we were partners.

Until now.

At this point, I'm like a firecracker that's about to take off.

They're disheveled, like they're been through a tornado. Mr. Freeze's hair wasn't so perfect anymore and his tie was hanging around his neck _(it's very rare seeing him disheveled, unless you count the whole fettuccine incident a few days ago)._ Kennedy's tie from his suit is off too, not to mention the jacket. Even his neatly combed hair is out of place. Strands are just hanging over his face, making him look like some rock band leader or something,

They're both sweating and there's stains under their shirts.

Let me point out that these two went at it for an hour.

A whole freaking hour.

It's not easy holding back two well built guys with enough training to cripple the entire squad if they wanted to. Guys nearly got clocked in the face, in the guts, and Solomon swore up and down that Mr. Freeze was aiming to kick him where the sun didn't shine. Of course, I knew he already developed a grudge against him since that bank robbery dud, so I wasn't going to believe that story.

It was one o'clock in the morning.

Let me repeat that.

 **ONE-O'CLOCK-IN-THE-MORNING.**

Which means it makes no sense to go back home and get sleep because I'll probably wake up late and ignite Chief Randall's wrath further. You know, there's a good sign when my superior is infuriated to the point he can't even string two sentences together. He just gave me a shaky finger, demanded that I talk with those two and we're having a meeting later.

Then he slams the door of his office.

We're lucky the glass inside the door didn't shatter.

I couldn't really blame Chief Randall for being angry. First, Kennedy turned out to be the anonymous source and secondly, the FBI failed to mention he was undercover as a Sanchez henchman and he knew that Ramos was a traitor. You know, I hate when these things happen. It gives me a headache, then Randall flies off the handle and everyone is on the verge of having a meltdown.

FBI representatives were coming later to discuss the current situation, so this is going to be a _fun_ meeting. I wouldn't be surprised if we met with the same two guys we met with when we were briefed on the undercover operation that went to hell.

Kennedy makes a snide remark on our way to the interrogation room. " _Yep_ _, that's the legendary Randall temper at work. Just the way I remembered. Does he still give you that Clint Eastwood glare?"_

That's until I gave him a glare of my own to shut him up.

I _was not_ in the mood for jokes.

I _was not_ in the mood for snide remarks.

And Mr. Freeze hasn't seen my true side because I'm just as pissed off with him.

"Why do I feel like I'm the teacher, trying to stop two five-year old's from killing each other? You two should know better! Whatever issues you two have shouldn't have spilled out at the _Los Angeles Bay_! Not when we have a code red situation!"

 _Click._

"Tell Mr. Kennedy that if he does not stop that infernal clicking, he may find his fingers broken soon." Mr. Freeze isn't even staring at Kennedy, but that calm demeanor screamed _'danger'_.

 _Click._

You'd think that Kennedy would stop clicking the pen.

Nope, he decides to be a daredevil and clicks the pen again. "And you can tell him that I don't give a damn about annoying him—"

"Leon, stop clicking the damn pen." I give him my no-nonsense glare.

Kennedy rolls his eyes. "Look it's not even that annoying..."

 _Click._

"Leon, stop clicking the pen."

 _Click._

"Not my fault this pansy can't handle a pen click—"

"Kennedy, I'm serious—"

And…he's still clicking the pen. "Claire, you can't be serious. You didn't mind me doing it when we were partners years ago!"

"Kennedy, so help me God if you don't stop clicking that pen, I will shove it directly up your butthole!" I exploded, slamming both hands on the table.

He stops clicking the pen.

Mr. Freeze's eyes widen, and even he's a bit surprised by the outburst.

My face feels like the hottest water temperature, as I took a deep, controlled breath, reminding myself of the inner yen I needed at this point. "…Now, are you two going to tell me what the hell is going on, aside from your academy brawls?"

"He's just mad that I'm seeing his ex-wife." Just like that, the words tumble out of Kennedy's mouth. "Seeing me just turned him into a rabid dog—"

"You haven't seen a rabid dog yet, Agent Kennedy." Mr. Freeze is gritting his teeth, as narrowed terminator eyes zero in on Kennedy. That whole surprised expression disappeared in minutes, considering that his expressions change quicker than a traffic light. "And if you ever call me a rabid dog again, this little meeting won't last very long—"

"I'm not afraid of you." Kennedy shot back, and I had to drown out the groan that was seconds from leaving my lips. Why, of all people did Chief Randall pick to get these two to stop fighting?! "You may have frightened half of the guys at the academy and you were some special hotshot CIA lapdog but I'm not backing down. Oh, I probably forgot the part where you were the president's adviser too—"

"Don't you dare mock me." Mr. Freeze seethes, seconds away from leaping over the table to strangle Kennedy. His arms are unfolded and he's gripping the ends of the table, ready to blow a gasket. "Should I dive into your past as well Agent Kennedy? Or is the pain of losing your last partner too much?"

This…isn't good.

They're both staring at each other like they're about to set the place on fire.

Allow me to explain.

I'm not the only partner Kennedy had.

He used to work for the N.Y.P.D before he was transferred here to the L.A.P.D. He lost his partner in a shootout and these guys were the best of friends. He told me about it one day when we were on a lookout regarding a missing person's case that broke a prostitution ring.

" _We used to make plans every time we had days off."_ He said with his boyish smirk. _"Head out for drinks, see the city, it was fun. He taught me everything I know now, aside from the academy and the training the L.A.P. D's been providing so far. I'll never forget him."_ Then his smirk faded because it was a pretty sensitive topic.

We never talked about it again.

"You don't get to mention him!" Kennedy is just as infuriated, and his grip tightens around the pen. If I didn't stop this mudslinging contest, that same pen would end up lodged in someone's hand. "Keep his name out of your goddamn mouth—"

Trust me, Kennedy threatened to stab someone with a pen once.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

Mr. Freeze narrows his eyes. "But you started something you couldn't finish in the first place—"

"You're not cute so don't try to be cute, you freaking bastard—"

"Both of you, knock it off!" I shouted, my hands slamming against the table again.

They flinched, but that didn't stop them from glaring at each other. "Like I said, this isn't the time to fight! We still have a loose Sanchez and a rogue Ramos to worry about! Chief Randall entrusted me to settle this dispute between you guys before it gets out of control and jeopardizes the case! Things are complicated as they are already!"

And here I am, waiting for them to not stare at each other like a pair of bulldogs, ready to devour each other.

Trust me, the interrogation room was as quiet as a pin the minute I said that.

With a frustrated sigh, Kennedy tosses the pen aside and turns away. "Fine."

Mr. Freeze glares at him for a few more minutes before his grip on the table relaxes and he settles in his chair again. "Officer Redfield is right. This case is more important than this petty squabble."

"Petty squabble my ass…" Kennedy mutters under his breath. "…maybe you should stop reading that thesaurus. Makes you sound like a freaking nerd—"

"And you can shut the hell up Agent Kennedy." Mr. Freeze gives Kennedy a frigid smirk. "Is that good enough for you? Or should I continue on?"

"You son of a..." Kennedy's seconds away from getting out of his seat.

Mr. Freeze acts like he's surprised by his outburst. "Oh, I apologize. I must have struck a nerve."

"Yeah, you're a real comedy show." Kennedy snaps. "Just for the record, you're not funny. I can easily wipe that smirk off your face."

"Try it." Mr. Freeze is as impassive as ever. "I assure you that your head will go through this table instantly."

"Will you two knock it off?!" I yelled.

Excuse me while I slam my head against the table.

This is going to be a _long_ morning.

* * *

 **. . . . .**

[ **Time** : 8:00 a.m]

 **. . . . .**

* * *

"What the hell happened between you two?" I demanded, glaring at Kennedy. We were sitting in the local park that was across from our lowly headquarters. It was my idea to get him away from Mr. Freeze before they killed each other.

It was also the only way I could get some real answers just to see what I was getting myself into.

Meanwhile, Mr. Freeze is somewhere in the cafeteria, drinking his coffee and scaring the pants off anyone who dares to even ask him about that outburst between him and Kennedy.

I'm sure even Lydia and Vanessa didn't get in his way.

We weren't new to staying at the park and hanging out. When he was my partner, we came here during lunch break sometimes. He would order his usual tuna casserole sandwich from the local diner and I would order my turkey and swiss sandwich. We would talk about everything from politics to different types of beer.

That's how close we were as friends.

Now, here we are, the sun's out and there's early joggers taking advantage of the semi cool weather that pops up every now and then before the Los Angeles heat smothers it. Other than a few birds tweeting and some weird conversation we heard in the distance about pancakes and blueberries, the park was quiet.

Just the favorite ingredient I needed to find out what the hell was going on between these two.

Kennedy sighs, runs a hand through his hair, and leans back against the bench we were sitting in. "That guy is an asshole Claire. I don't even know why Chief Randall paired you guys together…"

"Okay, we've established that he's an asshole for the millionth time." If I had a nickel for every time Kennedy mentioned that Mr. Freeze was an asshole, I would be rich. "I'm not asking about how much of an asshole he is. What happened? How in the world did we go from busting a drug shipment to you guys getting into a brawl?! And how in the world did the FBI not tell us that you were undercover?!"

"We knew each other in the academy, in case you didn't catch that." He lets out one of his bitter laughs whenever he's frustrated with something. "He was probably the best they had. Aced all the exams, passed the physicals with flying colors, and had the women at his feet. At the same time, he was cocky, arrogant, and treated the rest of us like we were beneath him."

Again, he sighs. "I don't even know how he was even married in the first place. I guess I was the stupid one for trying to be friends with him. I mean, we were somewhat friends but…yea. That was until I found at something in his room that I shouldn't have looked at. He's been holding that grudge for years."

"You're kidding me, right?" I just gave him that raised eyebrow look, stolen from the iceman himself.

Kennedy shook his head. "He didn't tell you he was adopted, right?"

Adopted?!

Um…what in the world did that have to do with anything?!

I was about to ask him that same question, but he continued. "His mom and dad died when he was younger. He was adopted by this creepy old man who ran this company—Umbrella or something. It was some pharmaceutical company. There were rumors of corruption, and people being used as experiments. Anyway, the old man's dead and the company went down under since."

Okay, now that was heavy stuff. This wasn't something I even heard about in the news but then again you don't hear a lot of stuff on the news. On to of that, I didn't know much about Mr. Freeze's past, other than what I read about in his file.

"I found a journal that belonged to his dad. It was a small book, pretty much. His father worked for that company and there was some stuff I read that was considered personal. He caught me with it one day and we went at it. That was the end of our _'friendship'_."

"And what about this woman Ada?" I asked. Okay, one I wasn't asking Mr. Freeze about that information Kennedy gave me because he would probably go off the rails and two, that was just stupid what he even did in the first place. I wouldn't like anyone looking through my personal things, especially when it comes to sensitive information.

"He was married to her for about five years, until he found out that she was cheating on him. He came home one night and found the guy in the house. Damned near killed him—I heard the guy was crying by the time he stumbled out of the house. He didn't press charges so there's that. I started dating Ada, but I didn't even know they were married until she told me about him."

Kennedy snorted. "And here we are. I was undercover in Sanchez's Los Angeles crew for a while and knew that Ramos turned against us. But I couldn't blow my cover. This drug thing…is bigger than we anticipated."

"Well gee, no kidding." I muttered under my breath and the sarcasm was dripping at this point. "My former partner shows up out of the blue and I end up hearing this stuff..."

"I don't want you getting near him Claire." He cuts me off.

Wait…what?

Where did that come from?

"What…?" I'm just staring at him. "…what are you talking about?"

"I don't want to see you getting hurt." He pulls away from the bench and the infamous Kennedy stare is plastered on his face. "Wesker…isn't really a nice person. He's two-faced. Chief Randall isn't going to change his mind about the partnership but just watch your back. He can be _'nice'_ one minute but deep down inside he's conceited. He's a selfish bastard—"

"Did Ada tell you that or are you making that decision for me?" That's when I get up from my seat and my hands are on my hips. "You know, I don't even know what you were thinking, going through his personal things like that. I would have been just as pissed off—"

"I'm not saying I was right for doing that Claire, but I'm not telling you to be careful because of Ada. I've heard of the ways he's treated some of his other partners." Kennedy's on his feet as well. "These guys asked for transfers the same week. You're probably the first female partner he's had. I'm just looking out for you—"

"I don't need you looking out for me. I can handle myself."

"Claire..."

"I'm not a baby Leon." I snapped, cutting him off. "I've been doing just fine with Officer Wesker, even if he's a jerk sometimes. And for the record, I don't want this beef you two have with each other to spill out during this case. We still have to apprehend Sanchez and Ramos."

"I never said you were a baby—"

"Let's head back to headquarters. Chief Randall isn't happy, and he'll be even more pissed off if we show up late."

I pass by him to leave, but he grabs my wrist. "I'm serious Claire. He's not someone you want to get close to—"

"Well no kidding. His wife cheats on him and his bunker buddy at the academy goes through his things. No wonder he's angry at the world—"

"Look, that's not—"

"Let go of me." My tone was enough for him to let go.

"Claire—"

But I didn't have anything to say.

I just turned away and left him standing there.

Life just became a bit more dramatic.

I think I really need that aspirin and water now.

* * *

 **Rule #30 : **_Dealing with a former partner on the police force can be a tricky slope, especially when you hear things you shouldn't have heard in the first place. In other words, drama llama just entered the scene._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Well, this story was bound to have some drama involved. Yes, I did use Umbrella in this and whether it plays a bigger role or not remains to be seen. I literally threw a curve ball, didn't I? Well, actually there's probably more than one curve ball in this little tale. Once again, thanks for the reviews and favorites! I am definitely planning a sequel, now it's in demand.


	29. Chapter 29: The Bet

**Italics:** Thoughts

* * *

 **. . . . .**

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine** : The Bet

 **. . . . .**

* * *

" _In which going after Sanchez in the Dominican Republic involves Mr. Freeze and I posing as a married couple. At this point, I'm done asking questions and pulling my hair out! Also, his past did make me feel sorry for him. Wait a minute…did I seriously just say that out loud?! And are we some romantic item now?! Okay, maybe it was a bad idea to invite him to stay at my place temporarily before we go after Sanchez. Great, now my brother is involved and he wants to arm wrestle with Mr. Freeze!"_

* * *

I found Mr. Freeze at the shooting range later that day.

This time, it wasn't a wild goose chase and I didn't have to ask Lydia and Vanessa where he was _(which I wasn't going to ask anyway because even those two knew to stay away from Mr. Freeze at this point)_. I just had a feeling that he was downstairs either in the gym or here.

Well, we had our meeting with the two FBI agents and Chief Randall. For one thing, we heard the spiel that informing that Kennedy was undercover would have risk his exposure and they had to conduct their own investigation as to why Ramos turned against them.

In their words, they had to move carefully.

Sanchez was just toying around at this point because he's been untouchable for a long time. I mean, I was tempted to add my input on the whole situation but with Chief Randall in his _'I'll kill you if you do anything stupid'_ mode, my input wasn't going to work out.

True enough, the FBI sent the guys that we first spoke with regarding the drug shipment—Agent Wringer and Agent Thomas. But anyway, they said that they had to move cautiously because of how dangerous Sanchez was. I mean, I couldn't argue with them. A drug shipment was still attempted, despite our interference at the little meeting. And Sanchez didn't even show himself, proving that it was a setup from the beginning.

This guy was a daredevil.

And law enforcement didn't scare him.

Then, we were told that we would have to go after Sanchez in the Dominican Republic and this time the FBI would be more involved because of the situation with Ramos. That's when they laid out the groundwork for **_Operation Conquistador_**. Mr. Freeze was going in as a married couple on a regular vacation, while keeping a close eye on Sanchez. From Kennedy's cover as one of his henchmen _(right now, we had to make it look like he was captured, and we interrogated him, while he gets his one phone call)_ , Sanchez was going to be at one of the largest gambling casinos in San Domingo.

Okay, the whole married thing freaked me out, but then again, we did pose as a couple during that information extraction gone wrong. Mr. Freeze, on the other hand didn't seem fazed.

He took everything that was said quietly.

Mr. Freeze and quietness was a disturbing collection of ingredients.

I hope this wasn't a trend to come.

I mean, yeah I was hoping for him to keep his mouth shut most of the time, but this wasn't the _'okay, you win'_ quietness. This was more like the _'something is bothering me and I don't know if I should talk about it'_ type kind of quietness.

We were leaving for the operation immediately tomorrow, which meant I had to speak to Chris _(not about the details because again, this is classified information)_ and make sure my house stays in one piece during the time I'm away. The operation could take two weeks or more, depending on how we're able to handle Sanchez.

I was determined to end this operation as soon as possible.

I still can't believe Mr. Freeze and I are a couple for an operation, again! I don't know if we were being paired up like this on purpose or it was just natural to use a husband/wife cover when you're hunting down a carefree drug lord.

I can't even tell how he felt about the whole thing because he left immediately after we had that meeting in Randall's office.

You might be wondering how I felt about that story that Kennedy told me in the park.

Well, for one thing, I felt sorry for Mr. Freeze.

There.

I said it.

Okay?

Having your childhood cut short by tragedy, and then you end up being adopted by some creepy old man running an even creepier organization is bound to knock a few screws loose. The fact that he was able to excel and be that strong despite everything is admirable, at least in my eyes. But then again, if he's carrying that much baggage, what does this mean for our little affair a few nights ago?

We still haven't discussed it.

Great, more drama to fuel my headache.

I didn't even speak to Kennedy for the rest of the day because I was _that_ pissed off at him.

Clicking a pen and being a jerk at the same time was a no-no in my book.

No wonder Mr. Freeze wanted to murder him in that interrogation room.

So anyway, this was the first time I got to see Mr. Freeze in action at a shooting range. It was your standard area that's located in the basement, with labeled, walled off sections that went up to twenty. He was in section ten, with large black headphones on and the special gold tinted glasses we normally wear when we're training firearms. The black target was already riddled with bullet holes, but most of them were aimed for the head.

I don't even want to know how many people he shot in reality.

And these were perfect round holes.

He was loading blanks in a _Glock .45_ when I came over, with my own set of headphones.

"Um…hey." I gave him a nervous wave of my hand.

Mr. Freeze paused, but he wasn't looking at me. "Don't you have some catching up to do with Agent Kennedy? I'm sure you two have been away so long that you have plenty of stories to share."

Okay, now that stung.

Low blow Mr. Freeze, low blow.

Where in the world did that come from?

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I demanded. "I came downstairs to see how you were doing, since the great and mighty Mr. Freezer actually showed emotion that didn't involve making fun of me!"

My hands are folded across my chest, waiting for his response.

That's when I heard him sigh. "…What did he say about me?"

He sighed!

The freezer sighed!

Another startling development in the world of emotions!

Okay, he did sigh before that drug shipment raid but recognizing this startling accomplishment is proof that Mr. Freeze is human and not a robot from the future.

That's when I decided to act dumb. "…Huh?"

And…that wasn't going to work against a man with the intelligence and wit of Winston Churchill. "Why do you constantly feign idiocy? I can see through you, Claire."

Whoa, whoa, now wait a minute.

Did he just use my first name again?!

I'm…scared now.

"Um…he didn't say much—" I began, but Mr. Freeze continued, interrupting me.

"What he said about me changes nothing. He is nothing more than a child, trapped in an adult's body."

"He's not really childish—"

"I'm sorry, but a grown adult who clicks a pen repeatedly just to annoy others around him is nothing short of childish."

"He was just getting under your skin—"

"And under yours as well."

"Yeah…well that too but…look, okay Kennedy is an asshole. I know that as well as anyone!"

Mr. Freeze just responds in his flat, unemotional tone. "Of course."

This time, it was my turn to sigh. "Listen… he told me about your parents and…about Ada. Drama is the last thing I need when we have a serious case on our hands. For all we know, Sanchez continued with that drug shipment because he knew we were going to stop it either way—like he's taunting us. Then on top of that, you and I have to go in as some couple in the Dominican Republic—"

Mr. Freeze chuckled. The next thing I knew, the Glock was dropped, and his gaze zeroed in on me. "He told you about my father's journal? The one that he deliberately opened and went through like it was his? Or the time where a woman I thought I loved betrayed me? Or the fact that I am this cold-hearted machine, or whatever lies Ms. Wong fed him?"

' _Well, you did act like a machine when we first met…_ ' I was tempted to say, but even I knew it would cross the thin line between us.

Or…at least I thought it was a thin line.

"I'm sorry…about your parents…and what he did. I'm more than pissed off at him about that. But…like I said before, you aren't a bad person. I saw the way you interreacted with your daughter and that girl we arrested. I didn't know what to think when we first became partners…hell I thought you were a bastard. But…" My tone softened. "…now I know who you really are."

Oh crap, this sounds like a cheesy soap opera.

Here comes the tissues and onions.

Either way, I meant everything I said.

"And I thought you were an immature woman who cared about nothing, except her music and breakfast." He smirks. "How you've proven me wrong time and time again."

"Well, you know what? I would have shown you I wasn't like that if you didn't think I was just about music and breakfast." I said with a smirk of my own. "Or bad Science grades."

"Oh?" He raises an eyebrow. "And what else should I know about the mysterious Claire Redfield?"

"Well, I enjoy long trips, going to the movies and romantic dinners—" My hands flew straight to my mouth the second that _'romantic dinner'_ comment slipped out.

Okay, I'm not smirking anymore!

Why do these things keep flying out of my mouth at the worst possible time?!

"Officer Redfield, are you suggesting dinner? Is this a makeup session for the incident a few days ago?" At this point, I know he's just teasing me. Well, his own torturous way of teasing me, that is.

Well, at least he's still not sour about that fettucine incident…I think.

I don't even know anymore!

You can never tell with this man!

"That isn't…I mean…you know that's not what I meant!" I muffled, turning away so he wouldn't see the red plastered all over my face again.

' _You just had to say that, didn't you?'_ Inner voice pitches in. _'You can't just let the embarrassing comments slide, huh?'_

' _That wasn't what I meant to say!'_ I argued back. _'It just…well it just came out…!'_

"So, what did you mean?" And that's when I felt a rock-hard chest against my back.

Claire, the pipsqueak mouse returns with a vengeance.

With a cherry on top.

"That…that was an accident!" I stammered.

"I don't believe that was an accident…" I felt his hands turn me around and I'm literally in his arms. He tilts my chin, just like that time when we were in the alley. "…that's just your inner conscience pretending that it was."

For the first time in record history, I saw a genuine smile come from Mr. Freeze.

…I really wish I brought my phone with me, that way I could take a picture of this hallmark moment.

That smile pretty much erased whatever awkwardness I felt just now.

* * *

 **. . . . .**

[ **Time** : 9:30 p.m.]

 **. . . . .**

* * *

Chris stared at me.

Then he stared at Mr. Freeze.

Mr. Freeze stared at him, trademark eyebrow tipping and all.

Then Chris stared at me again.

Then he pointed a shaky finger at Mr. Freeze. "He's staying here…?!"

I sighed, for what seemed to be the billionth time. "Chris, please don't cause a scene, for my sake—"

"Oh, so you're the guy that's been giving my sister trouble?" And…he cuts me off, while he attempts to stare Mr. Freeze down. "Just so you know, if you do anything to hurt her, I will personally cut your balls—"

"Chris!" I had to come between them in the living room. "Knock it off! It's only for tonight!"

"But Claire, you told me this guy was a nightmare to work with—" I wrapped a hand around my brother's mouth before he said another word and half-dragged him towards the kitchen.

I glanced at Mr. Freeze. "Um…I need to talk to my brother so um, drop the overnight bag and make yourself comfortable on the couch until I get back, okay?"

"Please, take your time…" His tone is laced with amusement. "…I'm sure you and your Redfield sibling have much to discuss."

"Mmf mmf!" Chris muffles and I'm sure it went along the lines of _'shut up!'_.

Now, you must be wondering why Mr. Freeze is here.

Again.

Well, I live closer to the airport, where our private plane was waiting. From what we learned from the briefing, we were being sent to the Dominican Republic with an FBI team in tow, which included Kennedy. We were considered the best in our field, with my years in the academy and how I breezed each exam and Mr. Freeze with his military/CIA/academy experience.

We were being picked up hours from now and I had yet to tell Chris that I was leaving. Again, I couldn't share details about the case _(civilian risk and all)_ , so my cover story was that _'I was going away on a training_ _exercise'_.

Well, hopefully I could tell him before he became a dead Redfield. In other words, I don't even want to know the things Mr. Freeze could do to him if my brother attempted to _'interrogate'_ him.

Once we were out of the earshot and through the door, I closed it.

I let go of Chris's mouth.

"Chris, don't ruin this for me!" I'm trying my absolute best to keep my voice down. "It's not what it looks like! He's only here because we're going on a training exercise and I won't be here for a couple of days!"

"What do you mean a training exercise?!" Chris demanded. "With him?! What, so you guys are all buddy-buddy now?! I thought this guy was giving you hell? I was going to give this guy a piece of my mind because every time you came home, you looked miserable!"

"That was before I got to understand him! And where the hell were you when he blocked my driveway?! You were cowering in the house, watching us!"

"I wasn't cowering!" Chris ran a hand through his hair and trust me, he does that whenever he's nervous. "He just…well…well he was intimidating but I would have given him a piece of my mind, but you guys were gone, and that crazy old lady was coming down the street! You know how she likes her drama!"

"Oh please, you had plenty of time to get out there and do something!" I rolled my eyes. "But right now, that doesn't matter. What matters is that you don't try confronting him on anything! I want my brother in one piece! Now, I'm going to make dinner and you're going to help!"

"What do you mean help?!" Chris blinks. "I thought you said you wouldn't want me near a stove ever again, let alone an oven—"

"I'm going to be in the kitchen, doofus." I resisted the urge to let out another exasperated sigh. "Please Chris...no drama tonight, okay?"

"Hey, don't call me a doofus! And what do you mean by you got to understand him? Don't tell me that you guys are sleeping—"

"Chris!" I snapped, my face going into red alert mode.

That's when his eyes widened to the size of golf balls. "You slept with him, didn't you?!"

"Chris!"

"Holy crap…" Chris looks like he's about to faint. "…holy crap, holy crap, holy crap—"

I did what any sister would do in a time like this.

I slapped him across the face.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Well, at least he snapped out of his daze before he blurted more embarrassing information.

"You're acting like a freaking child! No, I didn't sleep with him! And keep your freaking voice down! Now, you're going to help with this freaking dinner and you're not going to ask him any questions. Got that?"

Okay, yes, I technically slept with Mr. Freeze, but Chris didn't need to know that!

And we didn't have a proper discussion about it!

"I wasn't acting like a child!" Chris pouts, giving me the doggy eyes he's well known for when his feelings are _'hurt'_. "I was looking out for you! You're my sister! And if you're going away, come back in one piece, okay? I don't want to have to hunt down this bastard and…"

"…and I don't want my brother getting his arms broken." I finished off for him. "Trust me, he has more experience than your typical officer. Please, for the love of God Chris, don't embarrass me!"

"You really think I can't take that guy on?" This time, Chris does the eyebrow tipping. "You know, I bet you one hundred bucks that I can take him out in an arm wrestling contest!"

This time, I blinked. "…What?"

Please tell me that my brother isn't suggesting what I think he's suggesting.

He's challenging Mr. Freeze.

To an arm wrestling contest.

What…?

My brother has lost the freaking plot.

His brain must have exploded.

I had to check to see if brain guts was leaking out on the floor.

"C'mon Claire! I won't confront him on anything. It'll just be a friendly competition between two men! You know, drinking beer and…"

"You're not challenging him to an arm wrestling contest." I deadpanned.

"C'mon Claire, it'll be fun!"

"Chris..."

I really don't like that happy-go-lucky look on his face. "Seriously, nothing bad is going to happen! He…does drink beer, right? I mean, my little sister has a guest in the house and I really want to make him feel welcomed! I mean, aside from the cooking and everything!"

"Are you out of your freaking mind…" I began, but you know what? I'll let my brother do this, that way he could learn a valuable lesson and I can win my free hundred bucks I can use for souvenirs!

Instead, I just grinned. "…okay, you know what? That's not a bad idea after all. I guess arm wrestling could pass the time and you guys can get acquainted with each other."

"Are you sure…?" He began but gives me a suspicious look. "…wait a minute…you don't think I'll win?"

' _No, because you're an idiot, challenging a seasoned veteran military guy.'_ I was tempted to say that, but at the same time, I was laughing on the inside. Okay, I didn't want to see Chris in an arm cast but knowing how strong Mr. Freeze was and the way he took out those men in that nightclub during our botched investigation, he was asking for trouble.

And we all known how stubborn my brother can be.

I mean, yeah, my brother isn't a pushover in the muscles department, but challenging Mr. Freeze was a bad idea.

A very bad idea.

But convincing my meathead of a brother was like speaking to a brick wall.

Fine, he wants to play macho?

Go right ahead.

"No, I think you'll do fine!" I lied. "I don't think he'll mind either!"

' _You'll probably break your arm, but you'll do great!'_ I wanted to say, but do you think I'll say that to Chris?

Nah.

I'll just sip away at some wine and watch the destruction unfold.

* * *

 **Rule #31** : ... _I think I'm turning into Ms. Freeze._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Uh-oh, Claire is picking up bad habits from Mr. Freeze! Well, we all know that this stay over isn't going to end well...or it'll probably end with a crippled Chris. Let's hope not!

In case you haven't checked my profile, I have a new story idea that I dreamed about. It's on the supernatural side and I should be getting around doing the first chapter soon! I'm still waiting for fingerprints so I can start this new job so in the meantime, I'll be updating some things.

Also, we have a new cover for the story!


	30. Chapter 30: One Mission, One Bed

**Italics** : Flashback, Thoughts

* * *

 **. . . . .**

 **Chapter Thirty** : One Mission, One Bed

 **. . . . .**

* * *

 _"In which Chief Randall is once again out of his ever loving mind. Seriously, I'm starting to think he's a masochist in the disguise of a semi nice man, if you squint really hard. But seriously, one bed?! Whose idea was this? How am I always in these weird situations?!"_

* * *

"Listen Claire…I'm sorry…okay...?"

I couldn't remain upset at Leon.

It was a definite weakness of mine, where I couldn't resist his sincere tone whenever he knew he screwed up. He was like a kid who stole cookies from the jar and was remorseful after. Still, what he did to Mr. Freeze was nothing short of idiotic. I mean, if I was the friend of someone with emotional issues, the last thing I would do is go through their things.

Maybe that's why Mr. Freeze enjoyed pain—or at least that's what I thought when he crippled those guys at the nightclub. He just didn't react to the arms or legs being snapped in half. Come of think of it, paramedics had to drag most of these guys to the hospital before they were handed off to federal custody.

Then again, being adopted by some creepy old man who owned some defunct company that was under investigation years ago would mess anyone up.

I forgot to mention that when I was on my way to speak to Mr. Freeze at the shooting range, I recalled Chief Randall speaking with our resident psychiatrist in our department. Their voices were hushed but I knew they were talking about Mr. Freeze receiving counseling. You know, the one where you sit in those fancy lounge chairs and some guy in a boring black suit or a woman with glasses and a crappy hairstyle picks apart your brain.

Could you imagine Mr. Freeze in a psychiatrist office?

I think the psychiatrist would need psychotherapy once they crossed paths with him. We're talking about _Mr. Sarcasm_ with a side order of attractiveness and a personality that's equivalent to a polar icecap.

Well, at least I was on friendly…odd couple terms with him.

I mean, this relationship is still awkward.

At first, I wanted to kill him, the next minute I practically slept with him. And that's when that weird nightmare with Rebecca marrying Mr. Freeze settles in.

What if I was the one in the wedding gown?

Okay, if I was in the wedding gown, then who is that other woman trying to stop the wedding?

Why am I thinking about this now?!

You must be wondering what happened that night when my stupid brother challenged Mr. Freeze to an arm wrestling contest.

Well, as I suspected, Chris lost, but I have to say I was impressed. He lasted much longer than I gave him credit for. Of course, he was a sore loser and grumbled under his breath that Mr. Freeze was a lucky bastard and must have cheated somehow.

Yep, that's my brother.

Doesn't enjoy losing bets, period.

I betted against his football team one time and that resulted in thrown pillows and a rant that lasted for an hour.

Suffice to say, I got my crisp hundred-dollar bill last night.

* * *

[ **Flashback** ]

* * *

 _"My brother…can be stupid at times..." I muttered, picking at what was left of the chicken carbonara on my plate._

 _Mr. Freeze sat across the table while Chris sat on the other side. I sat right next to Mr. Freeze, which made things uncomfortable._

 _Why?_

 _Well let's just say that involved the little argument I had with Chris and it's likely that Mr. Freeze heard but didn't mention it._

 _For now, anyway._

 _As expected, Chris ate two helpings of my chicken carbonara recipe. It was a dish I made when I was in college for Chris and I on Friday evenings. We had our version of Italian night- breadsticks, chicken carbonara and a whole lot of broken Italian phrases._

 _We're grown up now, but silly Italian night still prevailed. He still did the funny, weird accents and I still had to make sure he didn't burn down the kitchen helping me._

 _But anyway, he challenged Mr. Freeze before dinner was served. At first, Mr. Freeze gave him the raised 'are you serious' eyebrow. But my lovable brother insisted, and the competition began. After several grumbles, Chris ate his dinner and retired upstairs with his tail tucked between his legs._

 _And…I was stuck with the man I just slept with._

 _Brilliant._

 _"…I mean, yeah I won a hundred dollars but it's still dumb how he did that…"_

 _"He's quite stubborn." Mr. Freeze drank the rest of his wine and set the glass down with a smirk. "It reminds me of a certain woman sitting in front of me."_

 _How did I know he was going to say that?_

 _Oh…wait._

 _He never ceases to take the smallest of jabs at me._

 _"Are you kidding me?" I gave him an incredulous look. "Me, stubborn? You must have me confused with someone else. I'm definitely not stubborn!"_

 _"You're not stubborn? It's funny how I can always see right through you." Oh sure, he could see right through me…what am I, Jell-O?_

 _"Please spare me okay?" I rolled my eyes. "You know, I'm starting to think you read a little too much about my file to challenge everything I say."_

 _"I've read and seen enough to realize I was wrong about you." Wait, where did that come from now?!_

 _"…What?" I stuttered, and I normally don't stutter but ever since I met this man, he's made me stumble over my words more times than I should. "…you were wrong about me…?"_

 _"Yes, I was." Not an ounce of sarcasm was found in those words. "I never expected to have a partner who challenges me as much as you do. It shows that you can handle yourself. While it's still true that you can be reckless at times, you still impressed me. Take that as a compliment—it's not often that I give one."_

 _"I…well…err…"_

 _This...is a pretty awkward moment, isn't it?_

 _'If he felt that way, then what was that all about with the cold smirks and the insults about your academy training?!'_

 _Second voice did have a point._

 _And I was about to get that out of him._

 _"…well...if you felt that way about me, then why did you even act like a jerk in the first place?" I demanded. "Did you even know that I was worried about that perp barreling into you at that café? And to be honest, if you ever treat me like that, I'm going to fire back. You know, because bad karma and all."_

 _"Karma?" Mr. Freeze repeated. "Do you expect me to believe that? What exactly is karma and what does it have to do with the conversation?"_

 _Okay, I believed in karma…somewhat._

 _There was a girl in junior high who made it an every day mission to torment me with her friends during and after school. One day, during a rainy day, I was heading home and of course she and her friends were on my tail, talking behind my back and snickering. The girl was so into trashing me, that she tripped over a rock and fell face first in a large puddle of mud._

 _I had the biggest laugh in my childhood years._

 _So, after that incident I believed that if you annoy someone enough, it's only a matter of time before you ended up on the wrong side of the fence._

 _Only that Mr. Freeze's time never came so there went that whole idea about karma…at least for now anyway, unless you count that incident in the men's locker room where I could have sworn he blushed during our little 'argument'._

 _"Yea, karma. If you mess with someone, it's only a matter of time before something equally as embarrassing happens to you."_

 _So, I ended up telling him about that story in junior high, only for him to laugh at the end of it. You see, Mr. Freeze had this laugh, where it just rumbled from the pit of his throat. I don't know whether he thought Latoya falling into the mud was funny or the fact I spoke about karma._

 _It might have been both because he said at the end of my story. "I think you watch too many films and have a tendency to believe in strange fallacies."_

 _"Listen, karma is real okay?" I insisted._

 _"So is Santa Claus." Mr. Sarcasm strikes again._

 _"Hey, Santa Claus could be real!"_

 _"Have you seen him?"_

 _"No but…"_

 _"…then he doesn't exist."_

 _"You don't believe in a lot of stuff, do you?" I huffed and folded my arms. "You think everything I say is a joke."_

 _"You can be very amusing at times, yes." Argh, even having a normal conversation with this man is purgatory! "Not to mention having an overactive imagination."_

 _"I don't have an overactive imagination!" I shot back. "I just think certain things do exist in real life! And you still haven't acknowledged the fact that I was trying to save you during that perp incident before I knew you were an officer!"_

 _"Save me?" Mr. Freeze laughed again. "As flattering as that was, I wouldn't have allowed a mere perp to attack me, even if I wasn't an officer. And what certain things exist in reality? Cooties?"_

 _"Okay, cooties don't really exist, but it was just weird how I just tripped, and we ended up kissing like that!"_

 _"I would say that it was a strange case of clumsiness at play. Reminds me of how I was able to catch you during your so-called mission to save Ms. Chambers."_

 _"That was luck! I could outrun you if I wanted to!"_

 _"Are you proposing another challenge?"_

 _I rolled my eyes and stood up from my chair. "You know what? It's getting late and I'm getting these dishes cleaned. You can help me or do…whatever you do when you're over at someone's house. Just don't break anything."_

 _I was about to head towards the sink the minute I passed by his chair, until his arm snaked around my waist._

 _I yelped. "Gah!"_

 _"I'm surprised you didn't see that coming."_

 _"…Hey!" I struggled to pull away, but I somehow ended up in his lap instead._

 _If it was anyone else doing this, they would be holding their family jewels in a heartbeat, but somehow Mr. Freeze manages to get away with these things._

 _Why is my face on fire again?!_

 _"…We have to get up early you know…!" I tried wiggling away, but like I said, dealing with Mr. Freeze's arms was like removing a trunk. "…how in the world do I end up allowing you to do these things?!"_

 _"What things?" Mr. Freeze murmured with another genuine smile that was scaring me more than his actual cold smirk of doom. "You could easily handle yourself, but you fell right into my arms, as expected."_

 _"That's because you grabbed me!"_

 _"What prevented you from pulling away when I grabbed your waist?"_

 _"…Nothing…but still! You don't just…grab someone out of the blue like that…!"_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because its…just wrong!"_

 _"Or perhaps you were too slow."_

 _"Yeah, because I was supposed to magically know you would do that…!"_

 _"An officer should be ready for unexpected surprises."_

 _He really has this way of cornering me with and I hate it so much! I mean…he did have a point. I could have spun away before he grabbed me instead of letting it happen, but it's not like I'm a mind reader or something!_

 _Then again, we did sleep together…_

 _Argh, this is all wrong!_

 _"Besides, we didn't get to finish our conversation after all. It was interesting, to say the least."_

 _"What conversation? All you're going to do is make fun of my little beliefs in karma!"_

 _"You have so little faith in me, Officer Redfield. What makes you think I wanted to continue that conversation?"_

 _I sighed._

 _Escaping was futile._

 _"…So, what exactly are we talking about?" I asked._

 _The smile disappeared, only to be replaced with his usual demeanor. "…Thank you."_

 _I blinked. "Thanks for…?"_

 _"…You didn't have to put up with me." Trust me, I was searching to see if Mr. Freeze was joking around, but I couldn't find any indication that he was. "The times where you threatened a reassignment with another partner, and yet you didn't go through with it. Why…?"_

 _Um…how exactly do I even answer this?!_

 _I mean, he's right._

 _I did threaten to go to the chief and demand a new partner and a reassignment, otherwise I was quitting the force. And somehow, in my tiny state of insanity, I never went through with it. I don't know, maybe I believed that Mr. Freeze wasn't that bad and blew things out of proportion._

 _Or I was just insane._

 _Either way, this conversation went from 'why in the world is he making fun of my beliefs in karma?!' to 'serious mode' in seconds._

 _"I don't know…" I confessed with another sigh. "…maybe I just wanted to believe you weren't that bad, despite the times you made my life hell and insulted my academy training. That really hurt you know…considering that I joined the force to make my parents happy. It wasn't easy finding a job after college so that felt like my only option at the time."_

 _"Then I apologize." Hold the presses, Mr. Freeze apologizing?! Is this planet earth? I never expected him to apologize for anything!_

 _"Well, this is…awkward." I grumbled, running a hand through my hair. "I mean, you apologized, which I really didn't expect and being in your lap at the same time. And we really need to talk about what happened…you know the whole sleeping together thing."_

 _"What is there to discuss?"_

 _"This whole 'first we were enemies and now we slept together' stuff!" My brother is going to kill me if he finds out I lied to him about Mr. Freeze. I mean, it's obvious that he doesn't like him in his own 'protect the younger sister at all costs' way. Makes you wonder why he didn't come out and force Mr. Freeze to move his car from my garage, doesn't it?_

 _When I needed him the most, he was huddled in a freaking kitchen._

 _Go figure._

 _"I found myself strangely attracted to you...despite your weird tendencies and beliefs." Okay, Mr. Freeze confessing something too?! This must be the twilight zone or something. Okay, you may be wondering why I'm acting like this is new to me, but when a man, who's been on a torture spree for a while ends up confessing he's attracted to you, it becomes a code red situation._

 _"And…this is coming from a man who wanted to keep things professional?" Remember when I was heading to his apartment and he said that?_

 _Yep, I remembered that._

 _"You act as if I can't change my mind about you." He started tracing circles around the jeans I changed into before I started dinner._

 _Before I could respond, the sound of my brother's horrified, high pitched voice filled the kitchen from the top of the stairs._

 _"I knew it…! How could you…damnit Claire!"_

 _So, how many times have I landed on my ass again?_

* * *

[ **End Flashback** ]

* * *

It took minutes to hold back my brother from attempting to strangle Mr. Freeze _(key word **attempt** , because Mr. Freeze was just amused by the whole thing)_, and for me to recover from that weirdo conversation all in one night. I mean, holding my brother back was like holding a bull from slamming into a crowd.

After a series of explicit threats that would make our Catholic parents wince, my brother grudgingly promised that he would keep the house in one piece while I was away. Then, he also added that I better come back in one piece, for Mr. Freeze's sake.

For the millionth time.

Then, we left to board a private jet that Kennedy was responsible for when it came to us boarding. Mr. Freeze only gave him a single nod, and he returned the gesture _(after whispering in my ear that he'll give me some time to speak with Kennedy)_.

The tension between these two was still high, but the mission priority overrode personal issues. Fortunately it was something they came to an agreement with.

"…you were right. You're grown to make your own decisions. I just didn't want to see you get hurt. We've been partners for a long time and—"

"I don't think he's as bad as you made him out to be…" I interrupted, as we stood on the empty runway. He was dressed in black, from his short sleeve muscle shirt to slacks. His I.D and holster was in plain sight…and to be honest, it was great seeing him as an F.B.I agent. The weather wasn't really bad, but with the sun dipping in every five minutes, it was bound to change. Los Angeles weather was pretty unpredictable at times, where one minute you had Caribbean weather and the next minute rain poured like a bat out of hell.

I must admit, I was kind of jealous but at the same time, I had to remind myself that someday I'll get that big promotion.

Still, it didn't change the fact that I sensed an argument brewing between us again.

"…I've seen enough to know what I got into the minute I met him. Just apologize and get it over with. We have stop this guy before he slips away again. You know…since your people can't seem to capture him. Maybe the F.B.I should do a better job on who they train on their team—"

"Really Claire? That was a low blow and you know it—" he began, but I cut him off again.

"If you're going to apologize Leon, don't start with that crap about not seeing me get hurt. I can handle myself—"

"I didn't say you couldn't handle yourself—"

"Good. I'm glad we had this conversation. I hope that the next time we meet, it'll be under different circumstances."

I walked off and boarded the jet, leaving him to shake his head and curse under his breath.

Okay, so I lied.

Maybe I am still a bit angry with him.

Leon can also be a prick sometimes, especially when he's holding a grudge.

* * *

. . . . .

 **Time** : 2:00 p.m,

Dominican Republic

. . . . .

* * *

I've never been to a country outside of the United States.

It sounds weird, but most of my cases were in California or New York. It's probably because my perps weren't drug lords out for global black-market domination. They were either stupid henchmen backing up the wrong horse or they were involved in some get-rich scheme. That's not to say I didn't have high profile cases but chasing after Sanchez was a very big deal.

Kennedy had to lie low and pretend that he was killed in the drug bust, that way it didn't arose suspicion. Of course, the guys involved in the drug shipment were dead, so no one knew that he was an F.B.I agent on our side. So, he was giving us undercover support and giving us key information. Mr. Freeze wasn't comfortable with the arrangement, citing that he shouldn't have to depend on Kennedy to take down a drug lord, while Kennedy said that he was full of it.

They nearly killed each again by the way.

I mean, it was perfectly fine that Kennedy was staying in Los Angeles. To have him and Mr. Freeze on the same plane was bound to end in complete and utter disaster.

Anyway, we got the full accommodations of a five-star hotel. The flight was tiring, and I was exhausted the minute we settled in _(and a nervous bus boy received a crisp twenty-dollar bill from Mr. Freeze)_.

How exhausted?

Well, let's just say that one time I was so exhausted with a high profile case that I ended up sleeping for two whole days while I was granted a vacation from the office.

But the whole _'being tired'_ moment didn't stop my jaw from hitting the floor when I realized there was one bed in the freaking room.

Let that sink in for a minute.

There is only one bed!

"…One bed…?" I stuttered. "…how could there be only one bed?!"

Don't get me wrong, the room was beautiful. I read enough about _El Embajador_ to know this place and it's history. It was built in the nineteenth century and was one of the best hotels in the Dominican Republic. Staying in a room like this every night was at least half of my paycheck. It was near the beach, so we had the best view from the patio. The furniture was black wood ( _the table, and four chairs)_ , the walls were a fresh coat of white paint, and the bed was out in front of us with it's fluffy sand color bedspread, white linens and pillows.

Well, at least we had a large flat screen television set.

Mr. Freeze didn't seem fazed about how expensive this room was, but this is coming from a guy who lived in some posh apartment. He dropped our overnight bags on the bed and started checking the room. It was standard protocol, considering that we were undercover and had to keep everything under control. Fake passports were created with our names changed. I was _Monica Fernandez_ and he was _Ramon Fernandez_. We were supposed to act like a newly married couple and came to the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon.

I was the fashion lady, while Mr. Freeze was a district attorney.

I was dressed in a flowery summer dress, with red sandals. My hair was done in a bun, which I don't really do that often. Mr. Freeze was dressed in something that wasn't black for once – a light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and cardigan pants.

And he was wearing glasses.

I don't mean the sunglasses that makes his expressions unreadable. I'm talking about reading glasses that made him look like the nerdy handsome type.

Yeah, the nerdy type that had every woman on the island drooling.

Should I even be surprised at this point?

"Funny, I wouldn't expect this arrangement to bother you." He was doing a thorough search of the room, so he wasn't really looking at me. "Despite our relationship for the time being, this is still an assignment. I'm sure considerations weren't made for two beds."

"I mean, yeah…you're right but…" I swear, it's like Chief Randall suspects something is going on! What kind of masochist would order a room with one bed I have to share with my partner/frenemy/lover-ish acquaintance?!

Okay Claire, you panic enough around this man. Don't start panicking now! You can get through this! Just take a deep breath and everything will be alright!

"…but what?" He's in the bathroom now, still conducting a thorough investigation. The bathroom had everything, the same colors as the hotel suite, a tub, a shower, and a sink made of gold and black marble.

I feel like I'm in the middle of a celebrity show.

"…it's just weird…" I mumbled, but Mr. Freeze was the type to hear a pin drop, so he heard me pretty well.

"Define weird." He stopped, and turned around to look at me.

"Well I mean…we went from being at each other's throats to this weirdo relationship. We never really sat down and discussed how this even affects our professional careers, let alone how it just suddenly happened in the first place…" Cue the finger twiddling and staring at the floor.

"I mean, aside from that weirdo conversation we had last night!" I added. "You can't just come out of the blue and say you're sorry and you're attracted to me and not have me freaking out—"

"Perhaps that's something we should discuss after we apprehend Sanchez." No smile was on that face, let alone a hint of one. "I don't see how our discussion last night relates to our current situation."

With that said, he turned back around and continued searching.

"Right…professionalism."

I sighed and found myself flopping on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

This is going to be a long three weeks.

* * *

 **Rule #32** : _When Mr. Freeze is in professional mode, don't attempt any sarcastic quips or any other forms of weirdness. In other words, Mr. Monotone never left the building._

* * *

 **Author Notes**

* * *

Very, very sorry my updates have been taking long. I've been busy with training with the new job and I still haven't received an offer letter yet. I cut down some of my stories because I don't have as much time as I used to to update my stories. I will update the most important ones left behind, but I do have a different plot in mind for _'Protector'_ so that may go down for a bit. I was also sick, with an on/off sinus infection so there's that.

I'm okay now so don't worry!


End file.
